


A Cruel Twist of Fate

by OliviaAR99



Series: Twist of Fate [2]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-09
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2017-11-28 16:13:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 73,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/676342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OliviaAR99/pseuds/OliviaAR99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequal to A Small Twist of Fate: After her murder, Rin's reincarnation, Miho, starts having constant dreams of a silver haired stranger. What happens when that stranger actually finds her in her new body?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**_Chapter One_ **

            She had to get out. The walls around her felt like they were closing, threatening to swallow her whole. She looked around at all of the face of the ladies that were in training as well and she wanted to be sick as her teacher shouted to get her attention.

            “Miho! What are you trying to do? Get back in line and show me that you know this dance!” The old woman was livid. “Stop gawking at everyone else and dance!” The old woman rammed her walking stick into the wood floor and made everyone around her jump.

            Miho only stared, unsure if she even cared what everyone around her was thinking. It wasn’t as if they couldn’t practice without her. She was not the only one being forced to participate in this tedious act. “I am sorry. I am just not feeling myself today.” Which was the truth. Something in the air that morning had made her feel uneasy, maybe even sick. A sharp pain in her stomach, which had started annoying her the moment she had dressed for her lessons, was still doing its best to implicate her performances later that afternoon. “My stomach is hurting me today.”

            The old woman sighed heavily and lowered her black, cold eyes. “Then you should have stayed in bed. Go, before I take my staff and strike you.”

            Grateful that she had escaped the rest of the afternoon’s classes, she bowed in respect before leaving the room, then turned and walked away, feeling questioning eyes at the back of her head. _Oh, mother…I doubt that this was the life you had envisioned for me before your death._ She thought to herself as she wandered back to her room. _Would you be upset with me if I left?_

            It was not the first time she had thought of running away. Becoming a maiko was supposed to be a way for a woman to live her own life, but right now, Miho felt like she was a prisoner to her intended profession. It was not like she had intended to become this beautiful creature of the night, nor had her family wanted it for her, but once her family had been killed; she was taken from the only home she knew and brought to this mysterious teahouse in the forest. Nobody asked her what she wanted, or bothered to inquire where she had come from once she was placed in her new ‘mother’s’ care. They simply stuck her in those waist-synching kimonos and shoved her into training classes with no second thoughts.

            Miho sighed heavily, feeling even more trapped as she stepped into the hallway to her room. The dark brown walls never seemed to welcome her. Despite the many oil lamps that lit the way, it always reminded her of her previous home…so full of blood and death.

            She hated blood. The sight always filled her with a sense of doom, even before the death of her family. There were times where she had seen a few cuts and scrapes on the younger girls and she would seize up with terror and hyperventilate, and later into the night she would dream of screaming infants covered in the crimson liquid. Those dreams never made sense to her because she had never been around any infants or children younger than eight years old.

            That was how old a girl had to be to be brought to this particular tea house. A girl had to start her training very young in order to become a successful geisha. Miho herself had been placed here at the age of eight. Now at the wonderful age of seventeen, she didn’t feel so wonderful at the thought of becoming an object for men to gawk at while she pranced around a stage in restricted garments for their amusement along with several other maikos.

            In just a few short weeks, she would be debuted with her friends, whether she liked it or not. And then she would _really_ feel like she had joined a prison, for she would be showcased and sold for money to whichever gentleman desired her more. It was a demeaning task that a woman of her standing had to go through in order to become a mature geisha, and she was anything but prepared for it. _I will find a way out of this, I swear on my life!_ Miho promised to herself as she walked down the hall to her room with her head held high.

            As she opened her bedroom door, a glint caught her eye and she noticed her father’s old weapons gleaming in the far corner as the afternoon sun broke through the barrier of her window. _Now_ that _seems more fun than dancing around in a room, swinging fans, and plucking stringed instruments for hours._ She thought to herself as a wonderful idea struck her. _I shall practice my sword fighting for a while! Father would be more proud to see me fight, than to see me prance!_

            Miho did not waste time as she stripped herself of her constricting kimono and hurriedly dressed in one of her burgundy kimonos. _This will not get dirty so easily!_ Try as she might to keep from looking pretty, it was impossible as she studied herself in the mirror. Her chocolate brown eyes caught herself staring sadly into her reflection. It was not that she disliked being attractive…but she felt that was all anyone saw of her; beauty with no real talent other than dancing.

            Her jet black hair was up in a loose bun with a few strands flying freely on either side of her fare face, and her lips were still stained with rouge from her lessons. Taking a free hand, she whipped them as clean as she could get them with a handkerchief she kept in her sleeve. _Damn, still red. Oh well…_ She rolled her beautiful eyes at herself and then turned to grab for her father’s old weapons. The first thing she grabbed for was the dagger. It was small compared to others she had seen but was lovely with its pure silver sheen and brown leather sheath. She took it delicately in her hand and tied it carefully at her ankle to keep it hidden.

            The next weapon she grabbed was what seemed to be a dirty sword, but upon closer inspection, it was well cared for and smelled of olive cloves to keep the beautiful blade sharp and clean of the scent of old blood. Its sheath was made from charcoal black leather from the hide of demons. A demon hunter had to be prepared with any means of protection possible, and demon skin was next to impenetrable when made into leather.

            Miho smiled at the memories of her father and brothers in the heat of battle, with her and her mother at their sides for back up protection. It was the perfect life for her because she loved fighting with the boys. Nothing felt wrong about protecting her family…until they were attacked.

            A frown painted her face in sadness and Miho closed of her painful memories before they could do more damage. _Enough of this. Time to practice!_ She took her father’s sword and slipped it into her black obi before walking back out into the hallway. 

            The young woman slipped out of the teahouse with very little effort. No one worried if she escaped because there really was nowhere to go for miles outside of it. Miho would have to return eventually if she wanted to stay safe. She may have been trained as a demon slayer, but her training for that had ended once she was eight and after that, she knew no more other than how to fight with blades and bare hands.

            The afternoon sun was hot against her back, but the air was cool as the first autumn wind whipped through and kissed her face until her cheeks were rosy. Miho slithered through the backdoor to the teahouse and made way for the thick forest that surrounded them.

            The trees were turning. Shades of deep purple and yellow, reds and oranges made them come alive with the light of the glowing sun overhead. She young woman sighed, feeling free for the first time all day and felt herself becoming more and more comfortable with her surroundings. _Ah! This is what I desire most…freedom. So close, I can taste it, but still so very far away._

            Miho walked for no more than five minutes until she spotted a clearing up ahead. _Perfect!_ She thought as she stepped into the circular opening. _This is just perfect!_

            Feeling even more alive, she took hold of her father’s sword and whipped it out like a pro. _Time to fight!_

            The next few minutes passed without thought as she wielded the sword like a true fighter. Miho took her time in setting her stance just right and then thrust into the wind close to a nearby tree, then withdrew and swung downward. In the process of throwing her body into the move, she reached toward her ankle with her left hand and quickly withdrew her father’s dagger and aimed it at the tree, close to her face for eyelevel. “Take _that!”_ She cried as she thrust her left hand forward and jammed the dagger into the belly of the tree. Pulling back with all her might, she nearly stumbled backward and caught herself with her sword as she jabbed it into the ground.

            “That was close.” She said to herself as she regained her stance. Taking the sword, she withdrew it from the ground and steadied herself, and then she looked up.

            What she saw was nothing short of amazing. “Who is that, I wonder?”

            It was a man, there was no doubt…but he was beautiful. His hair was long and flowing with a silver glow, and his face was streaked with violet war paint. The clothing he was wearing struck her as odd too. His kimono was all white, and his obi was violet to match his streaks and also gold to match his striking amber eyes.

            The man was walking through the trees, not paying her any bit of attention as if deep in thought.

            Miho was transfixed by his handsomeness. Something about him stirred her memories like someone had placed a large spoon inside and begun to mix her thoughts around. With her mouth agape, she caught wind of a buried memory and gasped aloud.

              _His eyes watched her as she leaned against the pillar right outside of her mistress's quarters and was unable to move. It felt as if he had pinned her there with his amber eyes and her soles were glued to the floor. He was adamant about keeping her still, though for some unknown reason, he didn't frighten her. She was transfixed by his lean build, uncaring that he was a member of the demon race. She knew what she wanted, and her heart was aching for the man at the end of the clearing._

_Those amber eyes…so far away but so close that she could feel them scanning over her body as if he knew how she looked beneath her soft pink silk kimono. It made her face redden at the thought. Oh…how could you know my skin? Why do you look at me as if you can see all of me? Why…?_

_This demon had invaded her dreams before, and for that, she wished that she could sleep forever. His face was so full of mystery if he did not see her first, but whenever his amber eyes found her, she could read him clearly. He was shocked, then sad at first as if he had lost the love of his life. But then he would study her face…searching. Looking for any sign of…what? But he would always end up watching like he knew her every secret thought. Who are you…?_

_She never knew what he looked for in her face, but she was always fascinated by his familiar looks and breathtaking figure. He was always dressed for battle, wearing a pearl white kimono with violet and gold obi. His sword hung proud by his side and his armor looked cold and strong. She had seen no one else like him. Every glance at his stunning eyes sent her heart soaring and she could not help but be confused by him. 'What do you want from me?' She would always ask him, but this demon never spoke a word, only stared._

            Miho’s sudden intake of breath grabbed the man’s attention from only a few yards away. He turned his head in her direction as he stopped walking and stared.

            The moment their eyes met, she blushed deeply and quickly returned to her attention to her weapons, desperate to get his image out of her mind. _Get a hold of yourself, Miho. He is just a stranger going about his business. He is not the man from my dreams! He is not!_

            She turned her back to the man who was now coming toward her. _Ignore him and he will disappear!_ Miho felt her heart pumping unusually fast within her chest with every footstep. Taking control of her body, she poised with her weapons ready and prepared to attack.

            “You are in my way.” A deep, smooth voice spoke from behind her, sending a fresh wave of goose bumps down her spine and making her skin tingle with recognition.


	2. Chapter Two

**_Chapter Two_ **

            She felt him at her back and did her best to ignore his presence.  

            He was closer than she had anticipated but that didn’t stop her from practicing with her blades. A sword in her right hand and a dagger in the other, she whipped them around skillfully and she thrust one blade into the tree before her. When she tried to pull it free, it stuck. Flushing with embarrassment at her mistake, she yanked on her dagger, felt it give, and turned back around and came face to face with a fully armored chest. “Ah!” Jumping back, she almost dropped both of her weapons but caught them before they hit the ground.

            “You are in my way.” The smooth, cold voice sliced through the air and made her shiver once again.  

            Looking upward, Miho was momentarily stunned by the sight. This was no ordinary man. He was much taller than average, with a fare face and powerful presence and build. His unusual choice of clothing made her heart leap unexpectedly within her chest. It was almost like she recognized it, but had no idea why.  

            Unfortunately for him, Miho wasn’t an easy target to prey upon. “Then walk around me, sir.” Feeling slightly smug, she got better hold of her weapons and stood her ground, all the while staring just as intently as he was.

            The man did not back down. In fact, he took a step closer and her body responded in a most unexpected way yet again. Instead of backing up, she stood still and almost wished for him to touch her, but he was wise enough to see her intentions. The man stopped and eyed her curiously. “Do you intend to die?”

            “No.” She whispered, hoping that her voice had not betrayed her, but with a look into his eyes, she had. “I intend to maintain my dignity by refusing to submit to a stranger’s demands. I was here first, therefore you should walk around.”

            The golden eyed man cocked an eyebrow and blinked. “A _human_ such as yourself is no match for my superior powers. Back down and I shall allow you to walk away unscathed.”

            For the first time, she smiled, highly amused. “ _Human?_ Look who is talking.” She noted sarcastically. “Do you think you can frighten me with a threat like that? _I_ am the one with weapons drawn.”

            The man was not amused. “I think that if you do not back down, I shall take those weapons and throw them out of your reach.” It seemed impossible, but she could have sworn that he grew a few inches taller than her. “Do you wish to test my resolve?”

            She drew in a steady breath and flushed slightly as the man noticed the swell of her breasts beneath her cotton, burgundy kimono that had suddenly felt constricting. Smiling in an attempt to divert his attention, she gathered her courage and let her voice carry a word that made the man mad. “Yes.” With that, Miho dove sideways and swung her sword around expertly and aimed it in his direction while she crouched low to the ground, ready to pounce.

            The man was still, but his eyes had followed her every move. Slowly, he turned on the spot and lifted his right hand toward the level of his eyes. His knuckles cracked threateningly. “You _dare_ turn your blade toward me?” His sinister smirk made the blood within her body boil with unexplainable wanting. “Very well.” He lunged for her without the help of his own sword.

            “I have been trained since early childhood by my own father on how to wield a sword!” She called as she dodged his oncoming attack by mere inches. She rolled on the ground and popped back up onto one knee. Returning her dagger to its sheath at her hidden ankle, she got better hold on her sword and focused her attention on the man who was watching her curiously.

            “I see. And where is your father now?” His voice was smooth and calm. It made her internally weaken.

            Miho was not happy to reveal her answer but did so against her better judgment. “My father, along with my mother perished in a raid when I was eight years old. My brothers were with them and both too died.” _I can’t believe I said that to a complete stranger!_ She internally kicked herself.

            The man felt an odd sense that he had heard this story before. “You were eight years old, you say?”

            “Yes.” She watched him hesitate and took it upon herself to initiate the fight. Sword drawn, she thrust it forward at him.

            He saw it coming and whipped out his own sword to counterattack. The two blades contacted and sent a small flash of sparks. Both were surprised by this. “You are strong.” He pointed out, but didn’t wait long enough for her to respond. Instead, he thrust upward with his blade and leaped off the ground.

            His sudden flight made her lose her balance and she tumbled forward to the ground. “Hey!” She caught her fall with her left hand and turned quickly to jab with her right which held her sword. The moment she threw her arm up, her weapon was knocked out of her grip. “Ah!” She looked up from the ground and was met with beautiful amber eyes. Her body reacted again as if she wanted him. “How _dare_ you!” She cried out as she watched her sword drop from the sky and land perfectly upright in the man’s left hand. “That was not fair!”

            “Life is not fair.”

            Miho was _not_ pleased. “Give me back my sword!” She tried to get up but his foot contacted her chest and pushed her back to the ground. “This is not the way a gentleman should act with a lady!”

            The man smiled from the corner of his mouth and eyed her curiously once again while he dropped her sword. She watched it fall with deep loathing. “I am no gentleman.” He stated simply.

            Her eyes flashed in rage. “Oh really?” She grabbed for his ankle as his foot was still on her. “Then what would you call yourself? A monster?”

            The man took his time in answering as he fixed her with a penetrating stare. Her heart hammered as she noticed that he watching her with a heated gaze. “A monster, I am not.”

            “Then what are you?” She demanded, uncaring that he was becoming just as angry as she.

            “I am a demon.” He lifted a strong hand up to his face and pushed his long silvery hair back past his pointed ears.

            She saw him for what he was then. The violet streaks on either side of his face trailed back toward his demonic ears. She had first assumed it was war paint, indicating that he was from another land, but the closer she got to look at his face, the more she saw that it was a part of his skin. The crescent moon on his forehead finally caught her attention as it had not before. Had that just appeared? She didn’t know, but something about him struck her as familiar. “A demon?” Fear gripped her as she realized her fatal mistake. He could kill her just by ramming a hand through her chest. “Who…who are you?”

            The man took his foot off of her chest and crouched down to look her in the face. Miho could not contain her shock at his familiar features. “I am a _demon_.”

            “I…I…” Miho’s words were gone.

            The mysterious demon reached a clawed hand out toward her face and stopped a few inches away from her left cheek. “What is your name, human?” The look in his eyes forced her back into her secret dreams. _Searching for something, anything…but what?_

            Miho’s eyes widened and her heart thundered. _What is my name? What is it?_ “Miho…” She hesitated before she finished out of a sudden bout of foreboding. “My birth name is Miho…but my maiko name is…Rin.”

            Fire blazed in the demons eyes. “ _What did you say?_ ”

            Frightened by the sudden change in his demeanor, Miho didn’t hesitate to respond. “My maiko name is Rin…my onee-san had given it to me when I was given to the teahouse. It is my debut name for when I become a geisha.”

            “ _Is it possible…?”_ The male demon whispered, transfixed by what seemed to be his own thoughts as his amber eyes glazed over.

            Miho felt vulnerable. She didn’t like that feeling one bit. “I should be getting back now…” She drew herself up on her hands and scooted backward to avoid contact with the demon stranger. “I am sorry I have to leave so soon but…I will be beaten badly if I am gone for too long.”

            The male demon broke free of his concentration and shot a deadly hand out to catch her by the ankle.

            Miho squeaked, and then internally kicked herself again for coming off as a helpless woman. “Hey!” She cried as his vice like grip hurt. “Let go!” Miho kicked her other leg out and got him in the nose.

            Stunned, the demon released her and Miho made a mad dash back to her home at the teahouse.


	3. Chapter Three

**_Chapter Three_ **

            Out of breath and a little less than scared out of her mind, she managed to get back inside of the teahouse without anyone taking the slightest bit of interest. It wasn’t until she found her room again that she allowed herself to think of what had happened.

            _He can’t be real! He can’t be! That demon IS the one from my dreams…I don’t know how, when or why but it was him! Oh! He was so beautiful up close and personal, but somehow so different than my dreams…and he recognized me…I think…_ Miho’s mind whirled from each dream she could remember having with him in it. Each one was equally mysterious, but so different…and all ended the exact same way. Miho always perished the moment before she escaped back to reality. _Blood…_ She cringed as the vision of her bloody abdomen came into her mind. _So much blood…I always die whenever I see him…no…He can’t be real. He just can’t!_

Miho stepped away from the door she was leaning against and paced back and forth in front of her mirrored table, lost in the memories of her dreams. _His intentions are never clear when he visits me. But whenever I ask, he refuses to answer and I can never touch him when I want…and I always want to touch him._ Secretly swooning, she stopped her pacing and dropped to the floor, catching herself with only one hand to keep from striking harder than she anticipated. _Oh, but I could get lost in those eyes…so full of secrets but I feel as if I should know what they are. Oh gods…he is real. He is…oh…what must he think of me!_ She mentally bashed herself in the head and cringed. _I can’t believe I kicked him in the nose…I hope he doesn’t come after me…I could just crawl under a rock and perish…_

After a few minutes of internal torment, Miho stood and paced back and forth in front of her now opened window, not caring that it had not been open before she left.

**(Back in the forest)**

            He watched her go, unable to believe his eyes, or his oversensitive nose after it had been struck. As soon as Miho disappeared into the trees, he stood to catch what was left of the young woman’s flowery scent through stinging nostrils. _Roses…it is not the same scent…but it is very close. Could it be?_ He thought for a long while as the pain left him, eyes frozen in the spot that she had vanished in, afraid that if he turned away, he would lose any trace of her. _I have searched for you, it is true…but I never imagined that I would find you so soon…or so close to home. Rin? Could that really be Rin?_

The man was still as stone from late afternoon until the sky was filled with stars and dead center hung a beautiful crescent moon. His mind was swimming in thought, still unsure if the woman he had seen was the woman he had been looking for, for nearly sixty years. _There is no trace of my scent mixed in with hers, but those eyes…so pure and innocent, but filled with a fire that only my Rin had possessed. Damn!_ He took his right hand and placed it against his forehead, coving his crescent mark. _I can’t tell for sure…but her name is too much of a coincidence to ignore. I have to know!_

 _Wait…_ He thought suddenly. _A maiko?_ There was an instant pain at his chest. A small seed of jealousy planted itself in his powerful soul and his amber eyes flashed with annoyance. _I cannot allow that…I will not!_ He took a step forward in the young woman’s direction, hoping to regain some control of his senses, but stopped as the sound of soft footsteps approached him from behind.

            “Lord Sesshomaru?” An irritating, yet questioning voice called to the taller demon from behind a few trees.

            Sesshomaru turned his head slightly and caught the scent of his long time servant, Jaken. The small imp demon had not changed one bit as he stepped out into the clearing with his Lord across the way. He was still dressed in his usual brown kimono and walked barefoot with no problems. With eyes wide, he scanned the area for other inhabitants but found nothing as he strode over toward his Lord. “My Lord, are you alright?”

            _Of course he doesn’t notice her scent…it was not the Rin he once knew…but I know._ “Jaken, it is time we settle in for the night.”

            The small green imp demon nodded in agreement and then motioned his head in the direction of the trees behind them while still looking up at his Lord. “Ah-Un has just fallen asleep outside of the tree line, my Lord. Should I awaken them and bring them into the clearing?”

            “That won’t be necessary.” Sesshomaru looked down at his loyal companion and noted the look of curiosity radiating out of his large yellow eyes.

            “My Lord, is something wrong?” Jaken’s voice was overflowing with concern.

            Sesshomaru did not respond with words. Instead, he turned his head back into the direction that the woman had vanished in and made way toward it.

            Jaken was dumbfounded. _He is acting rather strange this evening. Could it be that he has eaten something that has made him ill?_ “My Lord! Please, wait for me!” Strange or not, he would never turn down an opportunity to follow his Lord until the end of his very own life. “Where are we going?”

            Still, Sesshomaru refused to respond, but continued on his way like nothing could stop him.

            _Well…it is not like he hasn’t done this before. I had better just follow._ Before taking off too, the small imp almost tripped over something on the ground. _What is this? A sword?_ “My Lord! Does this belong to you?” He called out before Sesshomaru could disappear too.

            The great demon lord paused mid step and turned his head slightly to glance back at his companion. _The sword…Miho forgot her sword._ “Bring it.” He commanded to Jaken, who was watching him intensely.

            Jaken nodded enthusiastically and hoisted the heavy blade up until it rested comfortably on his shoulder. While looking up, he panicked as Sesshomaru vanished behind some trees. “Wait for me, my Lord! I am coming!” Jaken had to sprint to keep up with Sesshomaru’s pace and quickly found the perfect stride so he would not be left behind. _I wonder where we are headed now…hmm…and whose sword is this?_

            The little green imp demon took a moment to get a good whiff of the blade and fought a threatening smile. _Olive cloves…such a well cared for blade. This belongs to a demon slayer. Ah!_ Jaken looked up to the back of Sesshomaru’s silver haired head and wondered. _Could he have defeated a demon slayer in my absence? But there was no blood to be seen! So where could they have gone?_ He took another good whiff and sighed. _I detect the smell of roses…yellow roses to be exact. It was not a man that wielded this blade…but a woman!_

“Do you understand?” Sesshomaru’s voice was calm, but held hidden sadness that only Jaken and one other could always catch.

            The small imp demon looked up again at the back of his Lord’s head and fixed him with a questioning stare. “Do I understand what, my Lord?”

            For a few long seconds, Jaken waited in silence for Sesshomaru to make a sound other than his delicate footsteps ahead of him on the hard, cool ground. “You will return that sword to its owner.”

            “Huh?” Jaken had never been more confused. “But my Lord, I do not know who this weapon belongs too.”

            “You will…soon enough.” Was all that the great demon lord offered in response as they continued on their path.

            Neither said a word after that until they reached another opening in the trees. Jaken lost all conscious thought a few minutes previous and did not see that Sesshomaru had stopped in his journey. “Oh!” He cried when his body bumped into the back of his Lord’s leg. “What is wrong, my Lord?” Jaken righted himself quickly and jumped out in front of him, heavy sword in one hand and his trusty Staff of Two Heads in the other, ready to defend if necessary.

            This time, Sesshomaru responded. “A teahouse.”

            “What about it, my Lord?” Jaken had to squint his eyes to get a better look and saw a rather large building made entirely of well preserved wood. Smoke billowed out of a well positioned vent in the center of the roof.  

            “Go and fetch Ah-Un. I will be staying here tonight.”

            Jaken was, again, dumbfounded. “B…b…but my Lord…?”

            “Do as I say.” Sesshomaru commanded before moving toward the large building.

            Unsure of what else to do, Jaken bowed forward at the waist in respect and did as his Lord wished. _What was the point of following if he was going to send me back anyway? And what in the world is so fascinating about a teahouse with human occupants? Truly unusu…al!_ Before Jaken could take another step, a powerful clawed hand shot out and snatched the sword that he was still holding and had since forgotten until now. He turned around fast to see Sesshomaru holding it with a curious look in his molten eyes. “My Lord?”

            “I will keep this with me. Go now.” With a wave of his hand, Jaken did as he was told and continued on his way, now more confused than ever before. _My Lord…have you finally cracked?_ Jaken shook his head, bowed to Sesshomaru and then left.

            Sesshomaru did not bother to see his servant off. He was too preoccupied with the sweet scent of yellow roses that wafted through the air toward his oversensitive nose. “ _Found you.”_ He whispered softly while he looked up toward an open upstairs window.

            There, pacing back and forth in and out of view, was the woman who called herself Miho. “ _Rin…?”_


	4. Chapter Four

**_Chapter Four_ **

            “Miho?” A light knock on the door startled the young maiko out of her pacing and she darted for it all the way from the window in a desperate attempt to lock it. A bump in her rug stopped her plan cold as it snagged her bare foot once she got close and sent her tumbling to the floor in a heap.

            _Ow!_ Miho’s knee struck and sent a dull vibration through the wood floor. To her horror, the sound carried through the barrier of the door and forced the female on the opposite side to knock hurriedly and then swing it wide open.

            “Miho! Are you alright?” The woman in the doorway was slightly taller than the younger woman on the floor, with the same long dark hair, only hers was sleek and straight. Her attire was also different than Miho’s as she glided over toward her. She was wearing a sapphire blue kimono with threaded gold flower blossoms splashed about and the back out as she walked.

            Miho was mortified as she caught her deep blue eyed visitor’s stunned expression. “Yes!” She squeaked a little too quickly. “Yes Kasumi, I am fine.” Trying to regain her dignity while maintaining dancer’s etiquette, she repositioned herself, sitting on her feet, and then rose up with her back straight and clothes all out of sorts. Her face was flaming but failed to hide it.

            “Miho, are you _sure_ you are alright?” Kasumi inquired again while stepping toward the young maiko.

            Miho added a smile to her features, which lit up her face enough to calm Kasumi’s nerves as she nodded, although not enough to quell her interest as to her clothes.

            The older woman was not fooled by the innocence in Miho’s face. In fact, she could almost see the secret lurking behind those chocolate brown eyes. “What happened to your clothes?” She asked while nodding downward at the dirt stained burgundy kimono that was still attached to the young maiko. “You look like you’ve taken a tumble, or a few, in the garden.” Kasumi gave her a knowing look as if she were aware of everything.

            For a few seconds, Miho was sure she had been found out. The punishment for sneaking outside without permission from the Okaa-san was ten strikes from a switch that had to be chosen by the rule breaker, and suspension from lessons until all of the designated chores that she would be assigned were complete. This punishment has only been given to her once when Miho has attempted to run away when she was twelve. Of all the things she had endured at the okiya, the choosing of the switch was the most torturous. She literally had to study each piece of wood and determine which would hurt less and which would leave less noticeable bruises.

            No woman in the district was below this type of punishment, but luckily for Miho, the first experience had been her one and only…until now, she feared. “I did fall. Just now actually. You walked in on me in the middle of it.” To avoid coming clean at all costs, she stated the obvious in hopes that it would dissuade her Onee-san, but to no avail.

            Kasumi saw past the lie and looked deep within Miho’s rooming chocolate eyes. “You are covered in dirt spots. You were not here all this time.” Kasumi sighed lightly and then continued while circling the nervous maiko like a hungry hawk. “I came in earlier to check on you and to my surprise, you were nowhere to be found. I left your window open to warn you that someone was aware that you had disappeared but apparently you did not seem to notice. Otherwise, it would be closed by now to stop the cold from coming in.”

            It was Miho’s turn to sigh. “You are right, Kasumi. I have not been here the whole time.”

            “Where have you been?” Kasumi pressed further.

            Another sigh came from Miho’s tightening throat as she feared for her skin. “You know I cannot resist the temptation to practice when I am stressed.”

            Kasumi instantly knew where the conversation was heading. “You went out to practice with your blades again? Really now, Miho! Haven’t I warned you countless times that any scar on your flesh will lower your value if found by the wrong person? Playing with daggers and swords are dangerous and you should not be dealing with them now that you have become a maiko!” Kasumi stopped and stared Miho straight in the face with a set jaw. Her face was so young, but looked much older once irritated. “I know that demon slaying runs in your family, but now that you are living here, you must leave that part of you behind. Do you understand? If Hisoka had come up to check on you, you would most certainly have gotten a beating.”

            Miho had heard this speech before. It was nothing new, since everyone was well aware that she still owned her father’s blades and had practiced with them daily after having arrived at the okiya. That was the reason why she acted the way she did as she addressed her mentor. “You know me better than that, Kasumi. Can you give up your past? Have you even tried?” Every woman had a past that they were unable to let go, and Kasumi, Miho knew, was no different.

            The older woman gazed into Miho’s eyes for a long minute before she decided to answer. “My past didn’t involve demon hunters.”

            Miho only shrugged the simple statement off, but couldn’t help but ask a question regarding it. “Kasumi…have you ever met a demon?”

            Kasumi had not expected it, but was not startled by such a question. She took a step back and eyed Miho curiously once again. “That is a strange question for a time like this. Why do you ask?”  

            The younger of the two, again, shrugged her shoulders. “I am still suffering from my dreams.”

            Kasumi closed her eyes and nodded in understanding. “Oh, I see.” Though she knew of the situation with Miho’s vivid dreams, she did not know the contents of the dreams other than the fact that Miho always died at the end of them while a demon looked on at her with deep sadness. “You will be shocked to know this, but demon’s come through the entertainment houses just as much as humans do.”

            Miho was shocked. Her mouth dropped in awe for a second and then she fired another round at the patient woman. “Really? How come I have never seen one? What do they look like? Have I met one that you know of?”

            “Slow down, Miho!” The older woman lifted her hands to halt the questions. “One at a time. Now firstly, you _have_ seen demons wandering in and out of the teahouse all of the time. They may not look like the kind of demons your family had slain when you were younger, but they are demons just the same. Some of them look human, you see? The only demons brave enough to come out of the shadows are the ones that resemble us, which makes it easier to blend in.”

            “How can you tell if a man is a demon or a human?”

            “Well…” Kasumi thought for a moment before answering. “If you look closely at their teeth, you will notice that they have a bit of a sharper, more defined quality to them. Some even have fangs…but that is only a part of their physical features. What _really_ gives their cover away is their arrogance. Demons _love_ pointing out the fact that they believe they are more superior than humans.” Kasumi giggled lightly to herself. “I stopped taking offence though when I became a full geisha.” She looked up at the more than interested maiko who was watching her with more curiosity than a cat. “It was a demon who had reserved the rights to my mizuage.” She blushed slightly while roaming through her own memories.

            Miho blushed deeply too, unsure if she wanted to know anymore. “I think I have heard enough…”

            Kasumi pulled herself out of her past and placed herself back into the present where she was still standing in front of Miho. “I’m sorry, I have said too much.” She sighed and smiled at the still blushing maiko. “Anyway, you must promise me that you will not go back outside without permission again. I cannot protect you if you keep endangering yourself like this carelessly. Hisoka would have both of our skins.”

            Miho nodded in relief, glad that only a small portion of her adventure out into the forest had been spilled and not the who thing. _If Kasumi found out about that demon that came up to me, I would be one step closer to an early grave! I still can’t believe that he resembled the demon from my dreams…it is too much of a coincidence._ “Kasumi…have you ever had a dream about someone that you didn’t know…and then saw that same someone outside of it later?”

            The older woman’s expression turned from understanding to quizzical. “No…have you?” Kasumi fixed her with the same stare as if she could see right through to her very soul.

            Miho fidgeted where she stood.

            Kasumi did not back down that easily. She took a step forward and moved to grab Miho’s shoulders. “Did you come across someone outside of the okiya walls tonight?”

            “W…well…I…”

            “Kasumi! Miho! Where are you?” Another woman’s voice yelled from the hallway, stopping Miho mid-explanation and making both women turn to stare at the doorframe. Seconds later, a gray haired elderly woman appeared with baggy, tired looking brown eyes and was wearing a simple forest green kimono. Her voice did not help in shielding her old age. “Kasumi, we have a visitor from the main house and I require your assistance.” The woman looked from Kasumi to Miho and stopped her gaze directly on the younger female. “Miho, why are you so dirty?”

            Miho looked quickly to her ‘sister’, who gave her a knowing look.

            “I apologize, Hisoka. Miho and I had just returned from a walk in the garden. You know her and her clumsy feet. She tripped on her own kimono.” Miho released the frightened breath she had been holding the moment that old woman entered the doorway.

            Hisoka looked back and forth suspiciously from geisha to maiko, but thought better than to further question them and continued. “Alright…Miho, you are to go and bathe. Kasumi, we need to prepare a room for a female guest. She is in need of a little rest along with her young son, while her two male companions are entertained next door.”

            Kasumi nodded. “Yes, ma’am. After I have assisted with the mother and son, should I join in the entertainment?”

            “No.” The elder woman stated simply. “Tonight, you will prepare Miho to be presented to the two gentlemen. I am in understanding that they are both of high rank and they have requested a performance from a well trained maiko.”

            Miho shuddered in undeniable fear. “I have yet to complete my training, okaa-san!”

            Kasumi stepped in front of her to shield Miho from Hisoka’s irritated look. “Miho will be ready, ma’am. You can count on me.” She turned quickly to silence the startled maiko with more words. “You know everything in which to perform beautifully, and I have faith that you shall be fine with me by your side. All that you need do is pour the tea and saké, and speak only when spoken too by me, or whoever else is in the room.” She took Miho by the shoulders and looked her square in the eye. “Now go and bathe. I will bring you a clean kimono after I have attended to our new female guest.”

            Miho nodded quickly and slipped out of Kasumi’s hold and dashed past their okaa-san as fast as possible.

            Kasumi watched her disappear around the corner and turned her attention back to Hisoka. “Did our new guest give a name?”

            The elder woman nodded. “Yes. I was told that the woman’s name is Kagome.”


	5. Chapter Five

**_Chapter Five_ **

            The heat of the spring was inviting to the frazzled young woman as she hiked through the small bit of forest to its hiding place. Miho carried along with her a white towel and clean linen robe under one arm, while her other held her cherry blossom bath oil. _It’s going to take almost an hour to get my hair up and ready, but it shouldn’t take me long to get this dirt out from underneath my fingernails…_ Miho lifted one of her occupied hands and attempted to study the grim that had accumulated, but the contents she happened to be holding made it next to impossible without dropping something. Instead she focused her attention on the path before and her and tried to calm her rapidly threading heart. _My debut is still going to be held within a few weeks…but I can’t believe I am going to be presented before my time. I thought I had more time…I didn’t want this…_ She frowned, instantly unhappy and fighting off a panic attack. _Oh gods…I don’t know what to do…_

The trek to the hot spring had proven an easy task for the young maiko, but the idea of performing in front of important people against her will made her wish she really _had_ taken the chance to run when she had it. Too bad a demon had crossed her path and had gotten in her way. _A demon! I’d forgotten about him! What if he is around here and watching me?_ As Miho disrobed and stepped into the warm water, she crossed her arms over her breasts and sunk down, embarrassed with herself. _Come on, Miho…would that be so bad? He was really quite handsome…and he seemed oddly interested despite my lack of flirtation…or did I flirt? Oh! Stop this madness! Only one encounter and I have become nothing more than a silly girl like the others!_

            Determined to keep her hormones in check, she buried the demons golden eyed stare into the blackest regions of her mind and forced herself to bath and wait for her mentor to arrive with hair pins and combs.

(Inside the okiya)

            By the time Miho had reached the hot spring, Kasumi had been introduced to and was showing around a young woman who appeared to be no older than twenty. This woman’s hair was midnight black and pulled back into a knot with a few strands hanging free on either side of her fare face. She was glancing around, mildly interested by the design of the okiya, with deep brown eyes and a curious smile. “So this is what a geisha house looks like?”

            Kasumi, who had hardly said a word outside of their previous introduction, smiled reluctantly at the choice of words that the woman had used to describe her home. “I am sorry, but we prefer okiya to _geisha_ house.” Something about the woman made Kasumi think that she was not the normal every day woman. She had no idea that her assumptions were correct. “So, Miss Kagome, is this your son?” She asked while indicating to the slightly tall child hooked to Kagome’s side protectively.

            The woman fixed her with a challenging, yet kind stare…the one only reserved for mothers, and gave another smile. “It is Mrs. and yes, this is Ehren, my son.”

            Kasumi nodded in understanding. “One of the gentlemen that accompanied you must be your husband. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting either of them, so I am not sure who your son resembles more, although he does have the most beautiful amber eyes.” She crouched down as best she could in her constricted clothing and smiled sweetly at the boy.

            Ehren regarded her with expressionless eyes. “Thank you.” His voice was almost lyrical when he spoke to her.

            Kagome wrapped a protective arm around his shoulders and hugged him to her while her other hand came up and proceeded to run her fingers through his thick mane of long silver hair. “He looks so much like his father. Although when it comes to his attitude, he acts more like his uncle. He is always calm…but when you say something that he doesn’t like, he is every _ounce_ like me.” She giggled slightly while looking down at the boy who had lifted his head and fixed her with a smile.

            “Daddy doesn’t like to see me when I get mad…he says that if I had any of your powers, his face might end up permanently flat.”

            Kasumi cocked an eyebrow. “Powers?”

            Ehren turned away from his mother and looked Kasumi straight in the eye. “My mother is a powerful priestess!” He boasted proudly. “And my father is a power half demon!”

            Kasumi finally understood. Lifted off the ground, she smiled sweetly at the child then looked at Kagome, who was giving her an uncomfortable look. “No wonder Ehren looks so handsome. A priestess for a mother and a half demon for a father. Very impressive.” As the words left her mouth, she noticed Kagome’s expression relax. “So how old might you be, if you don’t mind me asking?”

            Ehren thought for a moment before answering, unsure himself of his exact age. “Mother, I can’t remember.”

            Kagome helped him along. “He _looks_ to be around six or seven, but when it comes down to actually, Ehren is no more than sixty years old.”

            Kasumi was not surprised. She had met demons thousands of years old that looked no more than Kagome did at the moment. It takes a demon _years_ to age. “Your husband must have given you his demon essence. You, yourself look so young.”

            “He did. I was nineteen.” Kagome was not shy at all to give a glimpse into her actual age. “Only a few years after, we had our son.”

            “What is it like to have a demon for a husband?”

            “It’s a challenge because he is almost always stubborn and arrogant, but if it were not for him, I would not be alive today. I love him.” The subtle glint of happiness in her eyes made Kasumi feel a little lonely on the inside, but suppressed it.

            “I’d say you are very lucky to have found someone so wonderful and had been able to produce such a lovely child. It’s not every day I have to opportunity to meet someone so handsome.” Kasumi indicated toward the little boy at Kagome side, who had just released a powerful yawn. “Come! I will show you to your rooms so that you might rest from your journey.”

            They made their way through the corridors and classrooms, up the back stairs to the bedrooms and into a vacant space with a large window overlooking the forest. “Blankets and towels are in the closet. A truck to hold your possessions is also in there, but just be sure to lock it with the key that was given to you upon arrival. It is the same key that will lock your door in case you leave for a short while to protect your things. Is there anything you need?”

            Kagome was busy undressing her son out of his black and white kimono and into his bed clothes when she noticed a small table with bath oils. “Um, would it be possible to bath after my son has gone to bed?”

            Kasumi nodded while she stood at the door, watching the young mother tuck her child beneath the bed covers. “Of course. I was just about to go down to assist one of our students with her hair and clothes. She is to be presented before your companions this evening.”

            After finishing with her son and kissing him goodnight, Kagome lifted and turned to face Kasumi and nodded. “Is it possible for me to see the show?”

            “It is not unusual for a woman to partake in a maiko’s performance. I am sure she would be delighted to have you there. Come.” The two women gathered a few bath items and headed down to the spring.

(At the hot spring)

            In the middle of her bath, a twig snapping forced Miho to pause in her attempt to cover herself in bathing oils. Looking up slowly, a quick figure dashed in and out of her periphery and made her whole body stiffen in fear. “Who is there?” She called softly, unsure if she really wanted to know.

            The figure was spotted again running through the surrounding forest and hid briefly behind several trees like a frightened animal. Miho watched the spot where the figure had disappeared for a good minute before it jumped out from behind the same tree and sprinted a little farther away from her. She wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn that the figure had caught sight of her with its huge green eyes before taking off. “Hello? Who is there?” Miho asked, feeling a little bolder despite being naked and vulnerable. She put down the oil bottle and swam over, closer to where the figure had gone. The more she looked, the less she was able to see given the fact that the sky was dark and the only light source was the lantern behind her.

            The sound of twigs snapping and leaves rustling just a little farther up the way lead Miho to believe that whoever it was, did not want to come nearer, but did not want to leave either. “I know you are there! Are you the demon from before? Did you follow me?” She was just about to emerge from her steaming bath when more rustling leaves snatched her attention.

            The sounds were closer than before as she studied the spot where the figure had gone. She could see no black mass in the cluster of trees but could hear the rustling as if it were somewhere within her reach. “Hello?” Feeling slightly modest, she ducked her body down into the water and sat down on her feet. The water just barely made it to her throat.

            At the tree line just at the edge of the hot spring, more rustling and snapping filled the young maiko with apprehension and she braced herself for every possibility that she might encounter from the intruder. Her dagger, which was still hooked onto her submerged ankle, beckoned her to release it from its sheath and prepare to attack if she needed to, but she resisted her gut instinct and waited patiently.

            All became quiet. The night animals stopped their wild songs, and the wind ceased to whistle through the tree branches as two nearby bushes parted.

            Miho held her breath and focused her chocolate brown eyes on the source of her curiosity. She was stunned. “I…I know…you…” She whispered in disbelief, releasing the breath she had been holding as the shock took hold of her. “You…can’t be here…you can’t be… _real_ …” Her head was spinning from the mixture of shock and moist heat from the spring.

            The small green imp demon regarded the young maiko with the exact same look of disbelief as the shock caused him to lose his grip on his wooden staff. The two headed weapon fell to the ground with a dull thump and rolled a few inches away. “Rin…is it really possible…?”


	6. Chapter Six

**_Chapter Six_ **

            Miho swooned at the sound of her name.

            Her lungs inhaled the steam from the hot spring and her mind was sent into a whirl of hidden memories while her body flushed deeply with faintness. Visions of blood filled her mind until her reality went black. The last image she saw was of a small green imp standing upright and staring at her in shock as she lost consciousness and slipped beneath the hot water.

              _There were no structures to be seen; nothing in which to hold her up, but she was not falling or moving in any direction. She looked around for a sign of life, but she was the only one until she took a step forward._

_The white light discolored before her, and for a moment, she saw a fleeting image of a small demon and another creature that resembled a two headed dragon walking at her as if through a misty cloud. 'Hello?' She asked quietly to gain their attention, but they ignored her. Feeling annoyed, she advanced forward another step and that did it._

_The two creatures stopped and glanced in her direction, and both cocked their heads as if confused._

_She knew them instantly. In the back of her mind, she could feel their names trying to break free from the prison that she had created for them but for some reason, she couldn't find the keys._

_Is that you, Rin?_ _The smaller demon, who was clearly an imp, asked her curiously._

_She was stunned. That name…I know that name…Rin…is…me. But who is me? Who am I to them?_

_She sucked in a frightened bit of air and almost choked on her amazement. 'You know me? Who are you?' She asked him quietly._

_The small imp gazed at her with wide, sad eyes, and then turned and walked away with the dragon demon in tow._

_She almost ran for them. No! Come back! I am Rin! I am! She struck something hard. Her vision was momentarily filled with sparks and wondered if she had contacted a wall. She blinked rapidly and noticed that she was still surrounded by white light, but there was no wall before her. Instead, she saw a tall figure…then all went black._

            … _Warmth…so very warm…and yet I see nothing…I hear nothing…it is such a pleasant warmth…but the more I am still, the more uncomfortable it seems to get…Where are my lungs? Why can I not breathe? If I try to draw in air…AH! Where is the air? I cannot move! I cannot breathe! Water…?_

Miho grabbed for her mouth, desperate to keep the heated substance from breaking through the barrier of her lips. The moment she had attempted to bring in a life saving lung full of much needed oxygen, she took in hot water. The heat chocked her airway with fire and her lungs protested angrily as she felt it catching in her throat. Coughing was impossible, she knew. One little cough meant one more lung full of water which could bring her that much closer to losing her sense of reality.

            Still covering her mouth, Miho tried to open her eyes to survey her surroundings…but the heat seared her already sensitive orbs and she was forced to remain blind. _Where am I? Why am I under water? Help? Help…the ground! Where is the ground?_ Hoping that she was not in a body of water that was bottomless, she uncurled her tense legs and stretched them downward. Her toes then dug into a pile of smooth pebbles and she dared to execute her improbable plan to stand up just to see if her head might break the surface.

            To her delighted surprise, she did indeed find her escape and she welcomed a slightly cool breeze wash away the remaining heat from her saturated skin. Releasing her mouth, she forced what was left of the already expired air in her lungs out, then drew in a fresher dose and swooned as her brain attempted to readjust itself too quickly from the sudden choice of action. “Whoa!” Miho took her right hand and pressed it to her forehead, trying to keep herself from swaying from side to side.

            “Miho, are you alright?” A feminine voice inquired quietly from a few feet away at her left.

            _That doesn’t sound like a voice that would belong to a little green imp..._ Miho braved a second try at opening her eyes and succeeded. Although the cool breeze was a welcome relief to her brief ordeal, it did little to improve the damage that her eyes had already been exposed to. They stung.  _Ah! It feels as if there are shards of glass littered within my eye sockets and they are poking and prodding with every blink._ Miho did her best to rub some relief into them with her fists and then opened them again to scan the surrounding area. Her eyes landed on Kasumi.

            The older woman was standing by the water’s edge holding a bath towel and looking concerned, while another female stood at her right side dressed in a white cotton kimono top with flaming red pants. This new arrival wore her hair up in a loose bun, and Miho could see that it was only being held up by a pair of wooden chop sticks. But none of that caught her attention more than the strangers deep brown eyes.

            “… _K…Kikyo…?_ ” Miho let the name slip through her whispered breath and then bit her bottom lip in shock, unsure where the name had come from. And from the looks of it, the new guest was just as taken aback by the sound of it as her.

            Kasumi gave Miho a look of annoyance, not caring that something had just occurred that would change to course of their lives forever. “Miho, are you alright?” She inquired again.

            The young maiko’s only response was a soft, yet audible, “Yes,” and then she turned her back to keep the two women from seeing the disbelief in her already pained eyes.

            Kasumi crossed her arms and huffed. “Well _really,_ Miho! That is no way to act in front of a guest. _Honestly!_ ” She shook her head in embarrassment for Miho’s disrespect and turned back to apologize for her to Kagome, but did a double take at the matching look of shock that had also painted the face of the new guest. “Are _you_ alright, Kagome?”

            Kagome heard her name, but was too frozen with disbelief to bother with a response. _I have only just met this girl…How could she possibly know that name? It…it’s…impossible!_ “Um…excuse me? Miho, is it?” She took a step closer to the hot spring and crouched down near the edge and looked on at the girl who refused to turn around despite her questions. “Where did you hear that name?”

            Miho’s only response was to splash the water around her as she scrubbed her skin with rice soap.

            Kagome was _positive_ that no one had mentioned that name since Kikyo’s death several decades ago, nor had anyone mistaken her for the doomed priestess in nearly seventy years. Even Inuyasha had failed to mention the woman’s name since her demise. It was absolutely _impossible_ that anyone could know or even _remember_ that Kikyo held the very soul that was now within Kagome unless they had been somehow connected with Naraku…and not one of her human friends from that time were still alive to tell about it except her. The only explanation she could come up with was that there had been a demon to pass through here that had been a part of Naraku’s destructive reign and had told the story. Nothing else made sense in Kagome’s mind…unless…

            Kagome sucked in a sharp breath and dropped the contents of her arms and stepped into the water, not caring if she was still clothed or not. Something wasn’t adding up in the situation, and she just had to find out if her new suspicion was true. “Miho? Please…turn around?” She reached a hand out as she got nearer to the evasive maiko and attempted to touch Miho’s shoulder.

            Kasumi stared on in disbelief. “ _What in the…?”_ She whispered to herself as she watched the priestess attempt to confront Miho. “Kagome, what are you doing?”

            Kagome ignored her and wadded forward until her hand touched the scorching bare shoulder of the still turned Miho. “Miho…?”

            Every fiber of her being jolted from the new contact from the foreign woman, and Miho jerked forward to break their connection. Still feeling the sting in her eyes, she took her hands again and rubbed them until she was sure that she would crush her eyeballs. “Kasumi, I’m done here! I need to hurry up and get ready before I’m late and Hisoka becomes upset.” With that, she covered her chest with her arms, feeling slightly modest, ignored Kagome as best she could, and took off out of the hot spring with only a towel and her slippers.

            Kasumi’s jaw dropped. “I don’t know what is going on with her this evening, Kagome, but rest assured that I shall find out.”

            Kagome simply stood, waist deep in hot water, fully clothed, and permanently shocked. _The skin on my hand feels as if it is on fire…the moment I touched her, I felt instant pain and deep sadness. Who is she? I could sense trouble inside of her heart…but also loneliness…agony. I haven’t felt any of those feelings since…_ “Kasumi…how did Miho come to find herself here?” She asked, still unmoving.

            Kasumi was taken aback by the unprecedented inquiry, but answered despite her reluctance to reveal Miho’s personal history without permission. “Well…to put it simply, my Lady…Miho is an orphan. She has been since she was eight years old. Her family had been killed during a hunt for dangerous demons.” She took a deep breath and continued. “She has been with us ever since, training to become a geisha in order to support herself.”

            Every word, Kagome drank in with greed and soon to be understanding. “I…didn’t think it was possible so soon…” _Could it really be her? Could it really be Rin?_


	7. Chapter Seven

**_Chapter Seven_ **

_I saw him! I know him! I know that I know him…but why? Why does he look so familiar? My dreams…they cannot be real and yet they are here! Two creatures that I have only conceived within my dreams and yet they are alive and real and they have found me as if they had been searching through entire lifetimes…I cannot possibly know this…but I do! It is beyond my reasoning to fathom their existence!_

Miho clutched at her skull in all attempts to quell her bubbling thoughts but they remained relentless within her mind. _And that woman…she too spoke my name as if she knew who I was. But I do not know her, yet my body had responded as if otherwise informed…Instant recognition all at the mercy of one brief touch and I saw, no more than for an instant, a woman so young and strong with a powerful strung bow and arrow poised as if to strike. Her clothing, although odd, sparked another name in which I could have spoken before it had left the lips of my ‘sister’ in introductions…and once spoken left me dump with shock. Kagome._

_I can feel within my bones that I knew her, but there is something missing in the image that I am seeing. My mind cannot seem to grasp at what it might be that I should have been aware of, and before I can stop it…the image is gone and I can no longer conjure what could have been...only a small glimpse of silver hair and golden eyes…the demon from the woods? No…no, there was something different…who could have been with her…?_

A twig snapping from behind the struggling woman jolts her back into reality and Miho instantly reacted in defense. She dropped to the ground, uncaring that she was dressed in nothing more than her thin maiko robes and fragile slippers, and anticipated the blow that swung over her head, just moments before where her neck and shoulders had been. The air was sliced through; carrying with it a sharp edge, indicating that whatever it was that had flown above the confused woman was a sort of thin, elongated weapon.

            Miho anticipated yet again a new sound that should have approached her after said weapon had apparently missed its intended target, but there were strangely no footsteps or twigs snapping in a sign of attack or retreat. _What in the…?_ Miho paused for no more than a few seconds before she lifted herself off the ground on her right leg and balance on her left so as to adjust her stance and regain her composure. Brushing the dirt from her hands on her bath robe, she glanced up and nearly started as her eyes met an object that had not been there only a possible minute ago.

            Imbedded deeply within the tree in front of the seventeen year old maiko was a sight that caused her heart to jolt and make her blood race. _My father’s sword! How…?_ The question faltered and remained uncompleted once she realized just where the blade had come from and how it had somehow left her possession. _The demon from the woods…_?

            After several hard yanks and a good slap of the internal face to break her of her amazement, Miho managed to free her sword and trudge through the remaining forest before her ‘sister’ and the new guest had finished with their own baths.

            Not a soul was present upon entering through the back door connecting to the kitchens. This entrance was mostly for the cooks and servants, but Miho had need of it from time to time when trying to evade the prying eyes of her fellow maiko’s. There was no time in which to anticipate the loathsome stares that she would receive from them upon hearing the news that her debut would start mere weeks before theirs. Not that she wanted it or anything, but it was a rare occasion indeed that one student would be allowed to surpass the others. But then again…she also didn’t seem to care much about them period unless she had to deal with them alone. So long as she entered through the kitchens, she would remain safe.

            Miho snuck through the kitchen door and slipped up through the back stairs and managed to dodge some of her fellow classmates behind a potted plant until they disappeared down the same stairs in which she came. Making sure that the coast was clear, she made a straight shot to her bedroom and barricaded herself inside to dress for her upcoming debut.  

(Downstairs coming through the back door)

            Kasumi followed a freshly cleaned Kagome inside and both were surprised to find a small group of young women whose heads were all lowered out of respect for the new guest. Kagome simply nodded in indication that she was aware of them, and all the women released a sigh all around.

            Kasumi shook her head in mild disbelief. “My goodness, what is with everyone this evening? You all are acting as if you had never witnessed another living soul besides yourselves.” Her voice carried a light laugh, which sparked another group sigh, but this one was not filled with tension.

            A round of giggles came next. “We just wanted to know if the pretty little boy upstairs belonged to her.” One woman with straight dark hair spoke out from the group and tilted her head in the direction of the stairs.

            Kagome smiled sweetly and nodded. “Yes, he is my son. He must not have gone to bed when we left him.” She turned toward Kasumi, who only shrugged her shoulders. “I had better go up and check on him before going next door. Shall I check on Miho as well?”

            “If you would not mind, I think that it is an excellent idea.” Kasumi offered a kind smile in return and watched as her guest retreated for the stairs and disappeared. Her smile faded once she turned back to the small group of women. In her vision, she spotted nearly seven of them, all looking eager as if Kasumi had something very important to say…and she did. “You all must be aware of Miho’s situation.”

            The whole group nodded in unison and their ‘sister’ released a steady breath. “Alright you all. Miho has been requested by Hisoka to entertain our new guests next door.” Noting the desperate looks filling each face, Kasumi continued on quickly before the absent air gave way to their unsettled thoughts. “Yes, that does mean tonight is her debut. This is a mild setback for you all, I know. Seeing as everyone was to be debuted all at once, but Miho was not only requested by Hisoka, but was also requested yet again only moments ago by one of our guest’s constant companions. Do not be jealous of your ‘sister’, for you all shall have your chance in just a few short weeks. Until that time, you shall leave Miho alone so that she can collect herself, gather her thoughts and be prepared for the tasks that await her. Again, you shall all have to do the same in just a few short weeks.”

            Although her words gave them comfort, Kasumi could still see sparks of jealousy lingering within the eyes of her maiko’s, which oddly set her soul aflame with motherly protection for Miho. In a snappy tone, she addressed her younger ‘sisters’ with the only words she could think to force their retreat. “You are dismissed.”

            No one dared go against Kasumi whenever they heard her speak in _that_ tone.

(Kagome at Miho’s door)

            _What shall I say to this woman? I am afraid to even mention Kikyou’s name, but she did not seem to react when Kasumi spoke my actual name. This is crazy…but when I touched her shoulder, it felt as if I knew her…or at least should have known her._ Kagome looked down at her hand at the memory of her brief contact with that woman’s bare shoulder. _My finger tips still burn from the contact. Is this a sign that I should know her? Oh…_

_Inuyasha, if you could see her, or even catch her scent, could you be able to tell? Could it really be Rin? I want to say that it could, but this woman has no physical similarities to my deceased friend and sister. Only her eyes, but I only caught a glimpse of them…_

_Even Jaken sounded convinced when he arrived just after I left the bath. Kasumi…perhaps he should not have informed her that he had stumbled onto Miho when he went looking for me. She did look slightly annoyed. What was Sesshomaru thinking when he sent that stinking toad? And of all things! He was spotted by Miho! Which was why the young woman had fainted in the water! Oh, I could knock that toads head off his shoulders for leaving her like that!_

Kagome clenched her fists in annoyance at the memory, but took a steady breath to calm herself before she got up the nerve to face Rin’s possible reincarnation. Lifting her clenched hand, she held it up and lingered in mid knock as if having a second thought. _What if it is Rin…can I bear the thought of her existence after all of these years?_ She could feel the heat of her tears welling up behind her eyes and she clenched her eyelids shut to fend them off. _I want it to be her…I do…but if she isn’t, what will I do?_

            Kagome huffed and made up her mind. Her fist shot forward and knocked only once before the door flew open to reveal a woman standing, with her face stark white, lips redder than a bloody rose, and dressed in a paper thin robe that left little to the imagination. Kagome was unfazed by the woman’s attire, having spent countless hours tending to the sick or wounded who had often been stripped of their garments so that she could assess the damage. Nudity only ever left her cheeks with a light tint of pink, but she had not had a full on blush for many years now. Therefore she did not even turn her head as the woman before her crossed an arm over her chest to conceal herself despite the soft pink robe.

            “Miho?” Kagome used her kindest voice in hopes that the woman was not too embarrassed.

            But Miho was indeed mortified. She may be a maiko, but she still had her moments of embarrassment whenever she really had the opportunity to think about it. She knew her robe concealed little, which is why she felt the undeniable need to run for cover. “I…I’m sorry, I was just on my way to locate my maids…”

            Kagome had to stifle a giggle, fully aware of how modest this young woman was. “No, no. Forgive _me._ I was just coming up to check on my son, and I decided to check on you as well.” She noted that the woman made no move to cross her path. Kagome cleared her throat, attempting to divert Miho’s attention. “If you would like, I would be more than happy to assist you.”

            “Really, I’m alright. I just need help with my robes. I cannot tie my obi alone, you know. It is a task which requires the help of at least two.” Miho did her best to smile.

            Kagome was not fooled. “I insist. You seemed rather startled by the hot spring when I arrived, so I would like to make it up to you.”

            Miho knew the skin on her face and neck were flaming. She was surprised it didn’t show through her white makeup. “I-I-I don’t know…perhaps if Kasumi was alright…”

            “Miho, if Kagome would like to help, I see no problem with it.” Kasumi appeared out of nowhere behind Kagome and Miho almost jumped out of her skin.

            “Oh! Oh, alright…I guess.” Miho knew that this was going to be a long night as she backed up into her room and allowed the two women entrance.


	8. Chapter Eight

**_Chapter Eight_ **

            Kagome ignored the urge to question Miho as she yanked hard on the silky fabric of one of the most beautiful kimonos that she had ever seen. Set on top of pearl white silk lay a several layers of color varying from deep sapphire blue to the lightest shade of lavender and detailed with white pond lilies. Miho’s obi, which was what was currently occupying Kasumi and Kagome’s time, was also white silk with a light splash of violet, lavender and fresh water blue, and neither female assistant could quite get a good hold of it to tie it properly. “Miho, stand still please so that I can finish!” Kasumi’s voice snapped just above Kagome’s head.

            “I haven’t moved one inch, Kasumi. Stop snapping at me.” Miho sighed heavily upon hearing her ‘sister’s’ unladylike growl in response. “Just tie it as best you can and let me be. Hisoka will be furious if I am late and it is your fault.”

            “It is _not_ my fault that you cannot stop squirming!” With another good yank from Kagome, Kasumi secured the knot that was necessary to finish the job and they both stepped back to admire their handy work. “Now _that_ is more like it!”

            Miho breathed a welcomed sigh of relief to have survived the process of getting dressed for a good hour and turned to face the two disheveled females. Both of the women had a bright smile on their faces. “Perfect.” Was all Kasumi whispered before she stepped to the side to reveal the hidden mirror.

            The maiko was a little less than impressed but still admired the person glancing back from the reflective surface. Her face was spared of the heavy white faced makeup, which pleased her more than anything. Only a mature Geisha was allowed to wear it, but her lips were dusted with a light pink gloss that Kagome had provided from a curious little bag which the Miko had promptly named a _purse_. Even more curious was the magic black wand brush that somehow made her eye lashes longer, darker and made her dark brown eyes more visible. Kagome had even provided her with a light blue powder to color her eyelids and bring out the blue hues in her kimono. “I look like a princess from a fairy tale.” Even her hair, which had been fashioned into a delicate bun with a few strands of dark hair hanging freely near her face, had been decorated with a rather snug fitting band close to the same color as the dust on her eyes.

            Miho looked away from her own reflection and focused on Kagome’s face, which was busy surveying her handy work with scrutiny. “What do you think, Kik… _Kagome?”_ Miho’s eyes widened in shock and her face reddened as Kagome’s eyes stopped moving and followed with the same reaction.

            Kagome didn’t hesitate. “You almost called me Kikyo.”

            Miho screwed her eyes shut and bit her lip, tasting gloss and the oddly familiar flavor of several different berries.

            Kasumi’s voice interrupted the moment of silence. “Miho, who is Kikyo?”

            It was a valid question…but she couldn’t answer it. “I don’t know!” No, it wasn’t that she couldn’t answer it…it was more like she honestly didn’t know. The name just kept cropping up into her mind whenever she’d see Kagome’s face and almost couldn’t contain herself whenever she spoke to the priestess.

            “Miho, please…do you know who Kikyo is?” This time it was Kagome, and the desperation in her voice made Miho open her eyes in wonder.

            “I don’t know. Really, I don’t!” She knew from the look in her eye that Kagome was saddened by her response, but there was nothing she could do. She just simply didn’t know why that name came to her mind.

            Kasumi looked from priestess to Maiko and put her hands on her hips in frustration. “Will someone _please_ explain to me what is going on here? I feel as if something is being hidden from me, and I do not appreciate it.” She looked at Kagome as Miho refused to respond. “Kagome, do _you_ know who this Kikyo person that she keeps speaking of is?”

            For the first time in nearly seven decades, Kagome spoke of the woman that changed her own life forever. Sighing, the priestess looked away from Miho and stared Kasumi right in the eye and nodded. “Kikyo was the keeper of the Shikon Jewel.”

            Miho was stunned. In the blink of an eye, she was transported back to a dream that had seemed more like a passing memory.

            _The skin dissolved within the wind and left only bones before the kneeling woman. Suikotsu had finally perished._

_Soft footsteps sounded and my own voice spoke within the silence. “Excuse me…Priestess?” The dark haired woman looked up from the remains of the man that had nearly killed me. Her eyes were dark and full of sadness, though I knew not why.“Thank you so much for saving my life.”_

_She gave me a kind smile and spoke softly. “You’re welcome. I am glad you’re not hurt. You must have been scared.”_

_I nodded. “Mmmhmm. At times he was frightening…but other times…”I paused to look down at the remains of the armored man and that was when I heard the familiar sound of my Lord’s footsteps and turned in time to catch him as he was moving away. “Huh?” Quickly, I turned back to the woman with the kind yet sad expression and bowed before her in thanks. “Goodbye!” I called before turning and running to catch up with my Lord._

Miho sucked in a sharp breath and her eyes widened as she came back to reality. She glanced around quickly but no one had seemed to notice her black out. 

            Kasumi had completely ignored Miho intake of breath and was busy looking at Kagome with a cocked eyebrow. “You mean that priestess that was murdered by her half demon lover?”

            Kagome pursed her lips in annoyance. “You could say that.” No one had made that assumption in a really long time and hearing it from a complete stranger made Kagome that much more irritated at their ignorance about the past. “Kikyo _was_ murdered by a half demon, but he was not her lover.” Kagome rolled her eyes and fixed them on Miho’s face, which to her surprise, was looking back at her with complete fascination. “Kikyo was an incredibly powerful priestess who fell in love with a half demon after being given the responsibility of protecting the Shikon Jewel. The half demon wanted the jewel in order to become a full demon, but the priestess kept getting in his way. With every attempt, she would find some way to fend him off, but never really killing him like she had done to all the other creatures that fought to posses the jewels powers. After a while, the half demon got annoyed with her for not killing him whenever he tried to get to the jewel, so he confronted her. Kikyo found him just as annoying, but for some reason, she began to allow her heart to be taken by this half demon, and in turn, the half demon for her. Finally, one day she and the half demon talked about why he had wanted the stone in the first place and she convinced him to change into a full human for her instead. To her surprise, he agreed and they planned to meet in a clearing one day to do just that.”

            Kagome closed her eyes and sighed before she continued. “On that day, Kikyo was attacked…by another half demon disguised as the one she had fallen in love with. She received fatal wounds, but vowed to kill the man who had aimed to end her life to posses the Shikon Jewel. But in reality, the half demon who had given her his heart was in the same situation as she. The same half demon that had disguised himself to get the jewel had also disguised himself as the priestess to end his life. Both were betrayed by an unknown rival, and in the end they both suffered in the same fate. Kikyo died, and the half demon she had loved was cursed to spend eternity pinned by one of her arrows against a sacred tree, never to be released.”

            “What happened to the Shikon Jewel?” Kasumi was enthralled by the story so much that she had leaned in closer to Kagome to make sure she had heard every word.

            Kagome continued. “The jewel was burned with Kikyo’s body.”

            Kasumi scoffed. “No it wasn’t! It reappeared fifty years later and caused a huge war amongst the demons and nearly ended life as we know it.”

            Miho knew most of everything she had heard. Everyone knew of the story of the powerful half demon Naraku and his thirst to become a full demon. It was all common knowledge, but something was missing from Kagome’s version of the story. “The jewel was reincarnated right along with the soul of Kikyo…it was reincarnated in the body of Kagome.”

            Kasumi was in shock. Kagome, however, was calm as she looked into Miho’s eyes and nodded. “You’re right, Miho. For fifteen years, my body held the Shikon jewel without my knowing it. And then I was brought back into the past, where fifty years had gone by since Kikyo’s death and I found the body of the half demon who had supposedly killed her. I freed him from the tree, and I shattered the Shikon Jewel into hundreds of shards...of course you know all the rest, I assume?”

            Miho nodded slowly, feeling a sense of de ja vu. “You are the priestess that ended Naraku.”

            Kasumi piped in. “But what about Kikyo?”

            Miho interrupted before Kagome could answer. “Kikyo was brought back from clay and graveyard soil, along with part of Kagome’s soul. She was not alive, but not dead either. She fought to kill Naraku, but in the end he killed her…for the second time, giving Kagome the rest of her soul back and giving her the strength to do the job Kikyo did not have the power to do.”

            Kagome’s jaw had dropped, but Miho ignored her. “Kagome is Kikyo’s reincarnation…which is why they resemble each other.”

            Kasumi’s confusion only grew. “None of this explains how you knew that Kagome and Kikyo resembled each other. How could you possibly know what Kikyo looked like?”

            Both Kagome and Kasumi stared at Miho and waited for a reply.

            Miho’s face burned from the attention. How did she know? “Um…I…um…don’t know exactly how…”

            Silence followed her response and it felt like an eternity before Kagome finally spoke, and her voice was soft and shaky as if she were in the middle of a good cry. “… _Rin?”_

A sharp knock made them all jump nearly out of their skins and a voice followed close behind. “Miho, you are going to be late, child! Move it!” Hisoka’s shrill voice sounded like nails on glass, making Miho cringe in unwelcome annoyance.

            “C-coming!” Miho called before she turned swiftly on her sandaled feet. Refusing to meet either of the two older women’s faces, she stepped forward and reached for the door. “Thank you for your help, Kagome.” Was all she said before she disappeared out of the room, leaving an irritated Kasumi and a stunned Kagome behind.

            Miho followed her ‘mother’ down the stairs and outside in absolute silence. Kagome’s voice was still present in her mind with the soft yet audible whisper of a name that struck her with terror and beguilement. ‘ _…Rin?’_

            The two passed several buildings on their way to the main house, each one resembling the other with the same wood structures and small fences to keep stray animals out of various gardens. Stepping through several alleyways, Hisoka lead Miho out into a clearing where a medium sizes pond sat, illuminated by several torches surrounding the area. And there, sitting in the middle of the pond was the main house, surrounded by hordes of Cherry blossom trees that were barely dressed in the cool night air. Despite this, the scent of them had not faded and left a heavy perfume behind to permeate the atmosphere. It was giving Miho a sizable head ache.

            Miho’s ‘mother’ carved a path to the stepping stones with little effort and encouraged Miho to go first to ensure that her clothes stayed out of the water as she walked. “Move it, child, we haven’t got all night. Your patron’s await you.”

            “Yes ma’am.” Miho muttered indignantly, feeling slightly resentful at her situation. She had never really wanted to be used at a toy, but at the moment that was exactly what she felt like. Some kind of play thing for all men’s amusement. _Father, if you could only see me now._

            A hand touched her back and shoved her forward. “Honestly, you’re moving like a slug!”

            Eventually, Miho found herself at the front door and Hisoka pushed past her to open it, allowing the oil lamps from inside to bleed out and paint her face in orange light. “Gentlemen! I would like to present our newest coming of age Maiko, Rin Miho Sayuri!” Miho’s new name was bellowed out like cannon fire and caused her to jump, startled.

            Hisoka stepped aside inside the building to allow Miho to walk through the door. In so doing, Miho was welcomed by the scent of mint tea and freshly baked cakes…and the looks of three very familiar faces.

            Miho’s steps faltered as she first caught the sight a silver haired man’s golden eyes. Her breath caught in her throat once the familiar stabbing sensation filled her abdomen and she had to freeze herself to keep from doubling over in shock. The man’s eyes narrowed in confusion and concern, but he remained seated in the middle of the trio. For a moment, Miho thought she saw him sniff the air in her direction. _He’s a demon too…but this is not the one from the forest, though they resemble each other with their eyes and hair._

 _“Miho!”_ Hisoka snarled low behind her, knocking her out of her trance. _“Show respect!”_

            “Oh!” Miho bent forward in a bow but kept her eyes focused on the silver haired demon. “It is an honor, my Lords.”

            The silver haired demon stood, along with his companions and bowed in response to hers. “The honor is all of ours, Miss Rin.” The voice did not belong to the silver haired demon, who had chosen to remain silent. The owner of the voice was actually that of the elderly gentleman that was seated on the left side of him. “Please allow me to introduce ourselves. The gentleman at the far end is my dearest friend, Lord Shippou and to my right is my other dearest, Lord Inuyasha.”

            Miho held her bow, but broke her silence with a gentle voice. “And your name, my Lord?”

            The elderly gentleman smiled kindly, but his violet eyes held a sense of mischief and wonder. “I, my Lady, am the monk Miroku.”


	9. Chapter Nine

**_Chapter Nine_ **

            “Even in your old age, you still act like a pervert.” The man called Shippou spoke after witnessing Miroku’s less than subtle advances.

            The corners of Miho’s mouth uplifted slightly in amusement and fought to suppress a giggle, which made Shippo’s mouth also upturn while the monk Miroku cleared his throat and pretended that he had no idea of what his companion was indicating. “Now really, Shippou, how can you think so cruelly of me? I was just introducing myself to this lovely young woman.” The old monk bowed in Miho’s direction once again and raised a hand to motion for her to sit amongst them.

            Inuyasha narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he studied the lovely woman’s face. There was something within her eyes that caught his attention but not as much as her scent, which had caught him off guard. _Roses…yellow roses and a hint of cloves along with something else that I can’t quite make out. This woman has wielded a sword recently. She smells like a demon hunter. I wonder if Miroku would be able to smell it too if he was close enough to her._

Inuyasha glanced sideways to catch the eye of his adopted son who was currently busy reprimanding Miroku with a look of pure annoyance.

            Shippou, who suddenly got the feeling that he was being watched, turned his attention to Inuyasha and raised his eyebrows in question. “What do you think, Inuyasha?”

            The half demon shrugged. “If only Sango could see him now.”

            “Hey, I resent that! She would have wanted me to be happy and find someone to live the rest of my life with.” Miroku huffed and retracted his arms to cross them.

            Inuyasha scoffed and rolled his eyes while turning to face his lifelong friend. “I highly doubt she would have wanted you to look for someone who was way less than half your age, monk.”

            “Yeah!” Shippou added. “Can’t you go and look for someone closer to your own age?”

            “Now don’t you two start up on my age again! Just because I look older than you doesn’t mean I am!”

            Both demons rolled their eyes at him.

            Miho looked on in wonder at the three men and fought hard to suppress a giggle. Despite the attractiveness of the two demons and the innocence of the old monk, she couldn’t help but feel as if she were in the presence of kids. _Why do all men have to act like children no matter what their age?_

“Where are our manners?” Shippou, the youngest member of the trio stepped out from behind their table and moved closer to her. “You must forgive them, Rin. They have no manners when it comes to being in the presence of a lady.” He held out his hand and motioned for her to take it.

            Miho was startled by his forwardness but accepted his invitation none the less. To her secret delight, he looked not much older than her. No more than a teenager, and his eyes held a fresh innocence beneath forest green coloring. _He is defiantly a demon. I can see his fangs…and he has a tail!_ This demon was a good few inches taller than her and was currently wearing dark blue trousers with a long sleeved white kimono. His hair was thick and fashioned in a long and bushy ponytail that hung loose. But what really caught her attention was still his bushy tail and fox like feet. Shippou was simply adorable. _Maybe if we had met in different circumstances, we would have been great friends,_ Miho thought to herself.

            A few moments later, Inuyasha was convinced that Miroku had no intention of acting his age. _Huh! Over eighty years old and he’s still a pervert!_ The half demon stared at the sight before him in deep disgust.

            Miroku had somehow managed to wedge himself between the Maiko and Shippou and was currently attempting to read the lines on Rin’s right palm as a ploy to distract so that the unsuspecting woman would not notice where his other hand was traveling to. But to Inuyasha’s amazement, Rin proved to me smarter than he had given her credit for as she yanked her hand out of his and grabbed for something near her backside. When she moved to display what it was that she had caught, Inuyasha and Shippou both howled with glee simply because of the look of anger that transformed Rin’s face from her previous look of sweetness. “I beg your pardon, _sir,_ but I am not an object in which you can place your hands upon whenever you please. Do refrain from attempting that again, or else I will take this hand of yours and stick it in a boiling pot and cook it until your skin falls from your very bones.”

            Miroku’s face burned red, while Inuyasha smirked. “You know…for a recently initiated maiko, you sure know how to handle a man if he tries to touch you in the wrong way.” It was the first time he had spoken directly to her in the few moments that they had been introduced.

            Miho flushed, realizing the crucial mistake that could possibly get her into serious trouble. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to sound so harsh!” She glanced behind her and discovered that her ‘mother’ had mysteriously disappeared from the room. “I…I-I mean…it’s not the first time I have had to deal with someone who thought that I was some sort of helpless maiden who couldn’t fend for herself.”

            Inuyasha’s brow raised, suddenly full of curiosity. “Is that so?”

            Miho nodded solemnly and pushed herself away from the still embarrassed monk. “Why…just earlier today, I found myself in the presence of a demon who seemed to think that just because I’m a woman, I would be an easy target to pick on.”

            “Another demon?” Shippou chimed in. He turned to Inuyasha. “I didn’t sense another demon around when we arrived. Can you sense him?”

            Inuyasha ignored him and continued to study Miho’s strange expression. “Tell me, Rin…how long ago did you see this demon?”

            Miho raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Um…I would say just before sunset.” She thought for a second. “I had to kick him in the nose to get away.”

            Inuyasha grinned, impressed. “Not many humans would have gotten close enough to a strange demon to fight with it and had gotten away unscathed. How, exactly, did you come across him?”

            “Well…I-I…um…” Should she reveal her secret practices to these strangers? Would it be wise to trust them? Sighing, Miho made up her mind. “Well…It’s kind of a long story.”

            Inuyasha studied her curiously and shrugged. “I have time.”

            “Me too!” Shippou added through a mouthful of cake and mint tea. He had recently attacked the spread of food that was had been sitting untouched before them a few moments ago.

            Defeated, Miho sighed. “I was born into a demon slayer family and…”

            “I knew it!” Inuyasha interrupted while Miroku broke free of his embarrassment.

            “My late wife and her brother were also demon hunters.”

            Miho’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

            “Yes, and she was wonderful at it too. She trained our children, as well as myself in the art. Are you any good?”

            “Not really…”

            “Can we please get back to the story already?” Inuyasha interrupted once again and crossed his arms, annoyed.

            Miho cleared her throat and continued. “Well anyway, my family died while on a raid when I was eight and I was brought here to be trained as a geisha instead of staying in my village to continue training as a demon slayer. I was, however, allowed to keep my father’s weapons as a way of remembrance…so whenever I got the chance, I would sneak away from my lessons and practice with the blades. It is not an easy task to get away from the main house and if I am ever caught, I can get into serious trouble, which is why I doubt that I am any good at my family’s profession.” Miho paused. “Anyway, I managed to get away today and in the middle of my practice, I spotted this strange silver haired man walking close by me. He saw me, but I did my best to ignore him. He didn’t like that very much, so he picked on me…and so I tried to threaten him with my sword. He didn’t like that very much either, so we fought. It ended with me being knocked to the ground and I kicked him in the nose to get away.”

            Inuyasha was stunned by one thing in particular about Rin’s story. “He had silver hair?”

            Miho blinked. “Um…yes?”

            Miroku and Shippou looked from half demon to maiko, utterly confused.

            Miho continued. “He had the same color hair as yours…even the same eyes. Only he was dressed in white, whereas you are in an all red kimono.”

            Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. “My brother.”

            “Oh! Is he with you?” Miho was terrified by the prospect.

            “What do you think, Inuyasha? Could it be?” Miroku asked calmly.

            “Now that I think about it…I wondered why I smelled something familiar about you.” Inuyasha was looking at Miho while he moved to get to his feet. “You carry the smell of my older brother, Sesshomaru.”

            Miho felt the unmistakable stabbing sensation within her abdomen again and she doubled over, catching the table in order to steady herself. _“Lord Sesshomaru!”_ She whispered fiercely before she could prevent it and she couldn’t fight the blackness from enveloping her vision.

            _The pain was unbearable. Warm blood flowed freely from the wound in her stomach. She lifted her weak hands to cradle the spot where her child had once been, but felt nothing but the sickening warmth of her life slowly fading. ‘What have I done…to deserve…such a…fate…? Oh…my Lord, I’m so…sorry…’_

 _Distant footsteps caught her attention but only slightly as she was too weak to even open her swollen eyes. “Damn it!” She heard through the fog of her mind. It was a familiar voice…and it was shouting a name…but what name? “Rin? Answer me! Rin!”_ _Hot hands touched the chilled flesh of her cheeks and her fading heart jumped mildly as a pair of familiar lips met hers. “Answer me…” The voice was full of heartbreak. Her Lord had found her…and she hated herself for being so careless. Their child was gone, and she was dying…and she could not be brought back._

_She wanted to cry…but no tears would come. Her lips parted, desperate to say something, anything to indicate that she was sorry…but she was so weak…so tired. Only a stutter passed her lips. “s…so…”Exhaustion overcame her and she fell silent, unsure if she could speak again._

_“Rin…?” The voice of her husband pressed on, more urgent than before._

_Oh…how she longed to caress his beautiful face and cling to his warmth. ‘I love you, Lord Sesshomaru…I’m so sorry…’ Her throat wanted to tighten from the agony of her sorrow, but every part of her simply refused to move anymore. She tried once more to speak, but she could only move her lips in the form of the words before she succumbed to the impending blackness of the unknown. ‘So sorry…’_

She jolted upright and released a loud cry of phantom pain before her eyes popped open. Feeling wetness on her eyes, Miho closed them once again and realized that she had been crying. In her mind, she had seen a massive castle, built for a great lord and Miho had been part of it, but outside of herself was reality. Instead of that massive castle she had seen, she was back in the present, sitting on the floor of the tea house with four very concerned facing staring back at her. The first one was the face of Lord Inuyasha, whose caramel eyes were wide with uncertainty. The second was the face of the fox demon, Shippou, who was watching her as if ready to catch her if she fell back again. The third was the face of the monk, Miroku, who had a hold of one of her hands like he was prepared to ease her of her ailments. And the fourth, which had not been there before she blacked out, was the face of the man that she had dreamed of.

            Miho’s jaw had dropped in a most unladylike fashion, but she didn’t care. The tears welled again and she allowed them to flow freely as the blackness threatened to consume her once more. “ _L-l-lord…Sesshomaru…?”_ She paused to catch a breath, which did not help the tightness that was clenching inside of her throat. The hot tears streamed from her swollen eyes. “ _I’m so sorry, my Lord!”_ She cried before she blacked out once more.


	10. Chapter Ten

**_Chapter Ten_ **

            _The world was locked away, pushed aside by her mind and all was calm. There were no ghosts to plague her dreams, nor haunted voices to break her blissful silence. Nothing mattered to her as she gazed out into the fading sunset. The clouds were soft and painted gold with blushing pink and dusty violet, and the meadow came alive with a sparkling night. For the first time in many years, she felt calm._

_While she gazed into the stars, the beautiful smell of roses filled her senses. There was something in the air that made her feel safe and sound within the solitude of her meadow, but she was well aware that her time there was drawing to a close…so she wept a few final tears that gave her the knowledge that this wonderful place she had found herself was that of a simple dream._

_She released only a handful of tears before she scanned the horizon once more, and she paused as a figure emerged from a nearby forest on her right side._

_He was tall. A regal figure with flowing silver hair and he walked with the grace of a feline. Everything about him glowed despite there being no moon, and she could see fierceness in his stunning honey eyes._

_She smiled at his presence, knowing full well that he had no intention of causing her harm and she whipped her eyes with her kimono sleeve, not wanting him to see her tears._

_He stepped closer, not hesitant in the slightest and he stopped only just a few feet away. His eyes were smiling, though his mouth was not. ‘I have found you…’ he whispered through the flowing wind._

_His voice was almost lyrical in her ears as it was carried over by the fragrant breeze. It took her a moment to realize that the scent of roses was not from the beautiful flower because it was not present in her meadow as far as she could see. But it was, however, coming from the body of the man before her. She knew that smell. It made her heart flutter wildly beneath her breast and she was sure that he could hear it across the distance, but she didn’t care. He smelled wonderful. ‘You have not changed, my Lord…you are still the same, but I am not…’ She paused, suddenly feeling lightheaded. ‘What have I become? I have felt so trapped within myself, but I don’t know what it is I am, or how to break free…’_

_The man simply watched, regarding her with uncertainty and remained silent until a full moment had passed. ‘Only you can know who you are now…Who do you think you are?’_

_She blinked in surprise. ‘I…I do not know…’_

_The corner of his mouth uplifted slightly. ‘You do know. Who am I?’_

_The answer was in her mind, but she couldn’t find a way to release it. Instead of responding, she tore her gaze away from him and marveled at the beauty of which she knew her mind had created._

_The stars had come out, slowly one by one, and now the sky was cloaked in a midnight blanket that sparkled brightly with an array of endless lights._

_A sudden thought caught her off guard. She smiled and whispered, ‘you claimed my body once…that, I remember.’ She looked over to the man and continued. ‘It was a night like this, and your eyes were burning with a fire I had never known you to have. I knew you were changing…’ She recalled being in the company of three demons, but only one had known what her own body was doing and he had attacked with almost no warning._

_‘Do you resent me for it?’ He asked while showing no emotion._

_She cast her eyes to the dew covered ground and blushed. ‘I do not think so…For some reason, it sort of feels like you had claimed someone else, but I know it’s not true.’_

_‘How do you know?’_

_She looked up and stared once more. ‘Because I still bear your mark on my breast.’ She saw the disbelief in his eyes. ‘It all makes sense now…I have a birth mark in the shape of the crescent moon, which is the mark that is placed upon your forehead.’ She released a breathy laugh as if realizing a hidden truth for the first time in her entire life. ‘I am yours…’ The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them, but the shock did not keep her from talking even more. ‘My body, my soul, belongs to you…oh gods!’ The world around her began to swirl and she clutched the ground for support as she felt the unmistakable feeling of sharp pain grip her very core. She was dizzy and was certain that the end was coming fast. Instead of succumbing to the darkness, she hung on long enough to find that the man was still there before her, standing not but a few feet away and doing nothing but staring as if he had seen it all before._

_For a moment, she became angry at feeling so helpless and the words left her mouth without hesitation. ‘WHO AM I?’_

_The man responded with only a name and sad eyes. ‘Rin.’_

            “What the hell were you _thinking?_ ” The voice of an angry female jolted Miho out of her dreams, but she kept her eyes shut tight, afraid of seeing what it could possibly be that was making the woman standing over her so mad. From what the young maiko could tell of the surrounding atmosphere, she was still in the tea house and was also soaked to the bone in the strongest smelling mint tea that had ever been brewed. _I must have knocked over the pot when I went down…but why am I still here? Why haven’t I been moved?_ Miho breathed in slowly, hoping to clear her head and attempted to capture more of the conversation that no one else had apparently figured out she was a part of.

            The unknown female continued to reprimand the person at Miho’s left. It took her a few seconds to discover that the woman speaking was the priestess, Kagome. “She is unconscious on the floor and _covered_ in tea, and you waited until I got here to do something about it? Do you have any _idea_ as to who this woman is? Well, _do you?_ ”

            A male voice answered. “Don’t get mad at me! How was I supposed to know that Jaken scared the hell out of her before she got here? I didn’t even know that that little toad was in the area! Do you know what she did before we met her? She kicked my brother in the nose!”

            Kagome huffed and growled. “ _Don’t_ _look so happy about it_!”

            “How can I not be? If I had the chance to kick him in the nose, I would have!”

            “Inuyasha, that’s _enough!_ Where is he?” A distinct tapping sound drew Miho attention to Kagome and she assumed that she must be moving her foot in impatience. _Where was who?_

            “Jaken?” The male half demon sounded confused.

            Again, Kagome huffed. “ _Sesshomaru!”_

The sounds of rustling and another voice entered the mix. “I would have thought you had better control of your human, little brother.”

            Miho’s heart seized, but she remained still. _Sesshomaru…_ The stabbing pain was back but less severe as it had been when she first heard his name. _Why do I keep seeing blood? I…remember dreaming of being so tired, but I also remember his voice. No, wait! I apologized! I was apologizing for something, but I did nothing to apologize for…Blood…_ Miho cringed internally at the thought. _So much blood…I was dying. Damn it!_ Her abdomen clenched and her whole body convulsed, riding out the pain, but she did not fade into unconsciousness afterword.

            The whole room fell silent and cold hands touched her sleeved arm and forehead. “Miho? Can you hear me?” Kagome was trying to rouse her, but Miho kept her eyes shut tight. _“Rin!”_ Kagome whispered urgently. _“Rin…please?”_ More silence followed, but Miho refused to respond. “She is burning up!” Feminine hands moved from her forehead to her neck, then moved past her ribs and pushed down into her right side. “No, not there.”

            Miho suddenly felt silly because her pain was already ebbing away.

            Kagome’s hands centered on Miho’s abdomen and pushed down.

            Miho shot her body forward and cried out, but the pain was already gone. Her eyes opened, then widened as she took in her surroundings. Five concerned, yet curious faces were staring back at her, but she only focused on one. “I know you.” The heat was gone from her body and she suddenly felt chilled. “You’re the reason I keep dreaming!” Miho shouted into the stoned face of the demon she knew to be Sesshomaru.

            Everyone around her, including Kagome who had been crouched down in front of her in a caring way, jumped back from her as the young maiko shot to her feet.

            Miho took in the figure of the demon dressed in all white. She threw her right arm out in his direction and jabbed a pointed finger into the air in rage. “All day, I have been in _pain!_ My stomach feels as if it is being ripped _apart_ and it is all because of _you!_ Your face haunts my very soul with every dream or nightmare that I have! Why you?” Miho started shaking as her blood boiled. “ _Huh? WHY YOU?”_

            Kagome was the first to break away from her shock and she stepped toward her. “Rin, everything is going to be…”

            “STOP!” Miho shouted, causing Kagome to rethink her decision and retreat. “I know who I am! My name is Miho! I do _not_ know who Rin is! Rin is the name I received when I first came here. It is my Maiko name and that is IT!” She focused her attention back on Sesshomaru, who had not moved a muscle. “I know who I am…who are you? What are you to me?”

            Sesshomaru glared at her with molten eyes. “ _Do not speak to me in that tone.”_

Miho’s eyes flared and she took a step toward him, not caring that Sesshomaru’s eyes had gone from cold honey gold to fiery red. “ _Answer me! What are you to me?”_ By this point, she was in his face, unafraid and downright furious.

            No one moved, or even blinked. Kagome and Inuyasha’s jaws were practically to the floor at what was unfolding before them. Miroku and Shippo had managed to cower behind the overturned table and their heads were currently peaking out to catch a glimpse of what might happen next.

            Tension was building as the moments passed. The silence in the room was deafening and nobody moved.

            The two angry figures stood toe to toe and eye to tilted eye. Sesshomaru was quite obviously taller than her, and no doubt stronger than over a thousand men, but he did not intimidate Miho any more than a helpless kitten could. 

            Sesshomaru finally spoke. “ _Mind your tone, or I will mind it for you._ ” He snarled.

            Miho squared off her shoulders and straightened her spine. For a moment, time stopped and her mind reeled. Her rage was bitter like the metallic taste of blood in the back of her throat and she shook violently with it. Every fiber of her being burned and nothing prevented the actions that followed. For a moment…she saw only red, and she acted.

            With no warning to anyone, even to herself, Miho drew her arm back with palm open and facing outward…and threw it forward, ramming it into the face of the demon of her most wonderful and most hated dreams.

            In slow motion, the scene played out in an almost comical kind of way…but no one found it amusing.

            Sesshomaru’s head snapped violently to the side and Miho yanked her hand back as white hot pain enveloped her palm.

            The witnesses in the room froze with the rest of the outside world and not even the crickets made a sound.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven** _

Kagome was in awe of Miho's fearlessness. Even she didn't have the guts to stand up to the great demon lord like that.

Inuyasha's first thoughts included the words 'insane', 'crazy' and 'unbelievable'. To his knowledge, no one, not even their most bitter rivals, had ever physically put their hands on his brother in such a shocking manner. As much as he disliked Sesshomaru, he wouldn't have come close to even  _thinking_ that slapping him was a good idea. He doubted that even their own father had laid a punishable hand on him in his youth simply because Sesshomaru never acted out like a normal child would have. Then again, Inuyasha didn't know the younger version of his brother, so there was always a chance that he could be seriously wrong...

Just in case he needed to intervene, Inuyasha gripped the handle of his Tessaiga and waited.

Miroku and Shippo were still crouched down behind the now upturned table for shelter, afraid of what might happen if they so much as breathed too loudly.

Miho was livid by the reality of her situation. Never in her entire life would she have pictured her future turning out like this. She was standing in the middle of a teahouse on the night of her debut,  _covered_  in mint tea, surrounded by people she was sure that she had never seen before but felt she knew in some way, and she had just slapped the most beautiful nightmare that her mind had ever conjured up. Everyone around her was in shock, that much was obvious, but she couldn't fathom why it was such a big deal. Women slapped men all the time for less in threatening situations and Miho's  _particular_ situation was no different. She  _did_  feel threatened, but she also felt deliriously angry at this demon's arrogance and ridiculously calm yet furious demeanor.

It wasn't until a few seconds later that she realized why everyone in the room was acting as if the demon standing in front of her was about to explode.

Sesshomaru said nothing as he slowly turned his head back to its proper place. The sting from Miho's slap clung to his skin and lingered like the bites of a thousand fire ants, but he remained still until the golden hue returned to his eyes. He blinked once, then looked down into the fearless brown orbs of the second most infuriating woman he had ever met…and he growled low in his throat while he raised a clawed hand to the level of his face. Sesshomaru cracked his knuckles.

Kagome responded first from across the room while her husband threw an arm out to stop her before she launched herself at her brother-in-law. " _Sesshomaru, don't!"_

Miho braced herself for the attack she assumed was coming by steadying her shaking body, but instead of a punch in the face, she cried out in surprise when a gentle hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her forward with ease. She placed her free hand up against Sesshomaru's chest and felt her heart jolt as she gazed up into a pair of glowing amber eyes. Her face flamed when her hand took in the heat of his body through his thick, snowy white armor. " _What do you think you're…!"_ Nothing had prepared her for what happened next.

For the first time in her life, Miho discovered what a real kiss was like…and it was mind blowing. Sesshomaru's mouth sealed over hers and devoured the remainder of her words and stole the very breathe from her lungs. Visions of what could only be described as memories, exploded behind her closed eyes and she drowned in them and the lips that sent her heart into overdrive. Miho's knees gave out beneath her, but she did not fall. Instead, Sesshomaru wrapped a protective arm around her waist and held her against him as if she might disappear…and the young maiko finally understood why.

The memories flooding her brain hovered between thoughts of wolves hunting her down and killing her, to visions of a battered and bloodied demon lying alone against a tree in the forest near her village. One image in particular roused some very unusual emotions of love, which struck a nerve because Miho had never experienced it. Within her mind, she saw herself kneeling before what appeared to be a very dead Sesshomaru.

_Rin tuned Jaken out, furious with herself that she was unable to heal Sesshoumaru's wounds. "I…I've…failed you, my lord…forgive me…" She closed her eyes and nearly sobbed. "I'm so stupid!" She leaned herself forward, placed her arms on either side of Sesshoumaru's torso and opened her eyes to study his face. He is so pale… Without thinking, she leaned down and placed her trembling lips against his. Please don't leave me, Lord Sesshoumaru...I love you…_

_She was not prepared for his response._

_Sesshoumaru's eyes popped open, feeling his body strengthening as his sword pulsed at his side. It healed me? His attention left that of his pulsating sword and focused on a beautiful dark haired human whose lips had found his. Rin…?_

_Rin felt the body beneath hers stir. Frightened, she broke the kiss and stared into honey colored eyes that were very much alive and she nearly jumped as a strong arm hooked around her waist and pulled her closer. "Rin…" A husky voice whispered before a pair of soft, yet demanding lips took hold of her own._

Miho clung hard to the front of Sesshomaru's robes as his tongue skimmed her bottom lip to taste as a new wave of visions caught her.

_"Lord Sesshoumaru, who might this beautiful woman be at your side?" Lord Sakuya's voice echoed into Rin's ears, but she was too focused on the wolf to take notice._

_Sesshoumaru squeezed his mates hand gently to catch her attention. Rin turned her head slightly and was instantly caught by his stare. "Rin…I would like to introduce to you the newest member of my Guard, the wolf demon tribe leader, Lord Sakuya…Lord Sakuya, this is my chosen mate,_ _Lady_ _Rin."_

_The young woman felt her knees buckle beneath her but caught herself upright in an instant as the words left her love's beautiful mouth._ _He called me…lady?_ _Her eyes widened as she gazed up at her lord, then turned her attention back to the other wolf demon lord, unaware of all of the other stares she was receiving from all of the other occupants of the room._

_Lord Sakuya fixed her with a powerful, yet soft stare and bowed low at the hips and reached for her hand._

_Rin allowed him to pull her to him while he lifted her hand to his lips and place a kiss upon her knuckles. "My Lady, it is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance. Please forgive my furry friend, as he is unaccustomed to the sight of humans."_

Miho's mind skipped through several more memories that included discovering the body of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's sister, Ura, and the night that changed the fate of the soul within her own body.

_"_ _A human is unworthy of becoming the wife and mate of a powerful demon such as Lord Sesshoumaru_ _." He lunged forward and wrapped a powerful arm around the delicate human woman who was close to collapsing on the floor. Careful not the remove his poisoned dagger, and kept his hand steady at the hilt and twisted with great force._

_Rin's chocolate brown eyes welled up with new tears and she could do nothing except allow them to flow freely. Clenching her teeth together to keep her screams from escaping, she dug her nails into the demon's arms as hard as she could to at least make him feel some of the pain that she was experiencing now._

_Lord Sakuya was unfazed. Feeling rather smug about his deed, he made an effort to provoke her while Rin suffered. "_ _I am well aware of the fact that I am going to die after this, but I could not allow such filth to live at the side of the most powerful demon lord of this era."_

_Rin's eyes widened again as the pain became unbearable._ _"Wha…why…?"_ _She gasped through her pain and then could no longer keep herself on her own feet. Rin's knees gave out beneath her and she went down, Lord Sakuya going with her._

_Her head swam with the scent of her own blood filling the air and she wanted to vomit once she noticed that her whole lower half was drenched with it, and the bleeding refused to stop. Rin's body was growing weaker by the moment and she was unable to do anything about it with the silver dagger sheathed within her stomach._

_The wolf demon on top of her just kept smiling, while his eyes continued to glow with crimson hatred. "_ _In case you were wondering, it was I that had eliminated Lord Sesshoumaru's sister. Transforming before she came to me was enough to catch her off guard and it was almost too easy to kill the wench with my claws…playing with her desires made it too easy."_

_Rin gagged on her own hatred for the male sitting on her legs. Gathering her strength, she lashed a weakened hand out and punched him as hard as she could on the left side of his face. "_ _That is for Ura!"_ _Her head was reeling, but she didn't care. At that moment, she saw blood in her eyes and her arm swung back to deliver another weak blow. She contacted his nose this time, which sent the wolf demon whirling backwards, cursing her name. "_ _And that is a personal gift…from me!"_ _She coughed and gagged once again, this time on the blood that bubbled in the back of her burning throat._

_Lord Sakuya reset his broken nose and stared down at the bleeding human at his feet. His mouth broke into another gut wrenching smile that made Rin sick. "Were you aware that you are pregnant, my_ _Lady?"_ _Laughing viciously, he leaned down and yanked his dagger from her stomach. "Or better yet,_ _were?_ _"_

_Rin could not believe it. "You're_ _lying!_ _"_

_"Quite the contrary, my beautiful Lady. You were indeed carrying Lord Sesshoumaru's child. Its scent was most noticeable once I entered the hallway." Lord Sakuya lifted his dagger to study it. "In fact, I do believe that my dagger just ended its life before it even had a chance to start." He chuckled silently at the look of pure horror on the young woman's face. "I am surprised that you were unaware. Sesshoumaru must have known not moments after_ _**he** _ _was conceived."_

_Rin felt her heart clench in agonizing despair._ _A boy? It was a boy…?_ _"You will die for your actions!" She moved her hands to cover the wound at her stomach and tried desperately to imagine the precious life that had been growing within her womb, but she felt nothing but the rushing blood pushing past her clenched fingers. The pain was indescribable. "_ _You will DIE!"_ _She shrieked her last word and almost past out from the anguish that her heart was filled with knowing that she would never give her mate the son that he must of known she was carrying, as well as the fact that she would be dead before she could see her Lord Sesshoumaru's face one last time._

_"I will die for the sake of my race. Humans do not belong in the world of the demons. Nor do half breed children such as the disgrace that you were carrying." His words stung. "You want to know why my wolf companion almost attacked you once you entered the meeting chamber?" He did not give the human a chance to answer. "Because he recognized you from when you were nothing more than a mere child of eight years. He was a member of the same pack that had killed you. Knowing that you were alive…knowing that you were the mate of Sesshoumaru was enough to warrant an attack. You have been dead twice before now…I understand that Sesshoumaru cannot save your life a third time. Is this true?"_

_Rin's vision clouded over and her hearing was fading rapidly._

_Sakuya continued while he stood over the dying woman. "The only way he could possibly have you now is if your soul allows itself to be reincarnated. That can take years…_ _centuries even!_ _Such a pity! I doubt he will wait for you, being the demon lord that he is…but that is no concern of yours now. Enjoy death, my Lady. For I will be joining you shortly."_

_Rin could only see black at this point. Her vision was completely gone and her body was losing blood faster than she could think._ _Lord Sesshoumaru…my Lord…I love you…I'm so sorry…_ _She was losing feeling in her legs, and her arms fell from her stomach to the ground on either side of her._ _So…sorry…_

The phantom pain had returned to Miho's stomach in such a way that nearly rendered her unconscious for the umpteenth time that evening, but she held on knowing that if she did faint, she might never wake up again.

Miho felt the tears burning behind her concealed eyes. Even she couldn't deny it to herself anymore once the memories took control of her body.  _I am Rin…I am…Oh…_  She pulled her aching lips away from the demon she had been kissing and opened her eyes to allow the wetness to escape. Her dark brown orbs glistened as she took in the image of Sesshomaru's desperation and nothing kept her from repeating the words from her memories. "I… _I…_ " She gulped down the pain and tightness that her throat often felt at the memories she had forgotten but just recalled. "… _I love you…Lord Sesshomaru…"_ She took in a hard breath and closed her eyes tightly as her tears fell freely down her flushed cheeks. For a second, confusion gripped her and she lost the words she was going to say next, but then slowly remembered and let them fall from her mouth as she wept.  _"I…am Rin, my Lord! What has happened to me?"_  She lifted her eyes back up to meet her Lord's and she released a soft cry before dropping out of Sesshomaru's lax arms and crumbling to the floor.

Sesshomaru followed her down and drew her into his arms, unable to believe what he was hearing. He had only met this woman by chance earlier on in the day, and now he was in the moment clinging to her with the knowledge that this was Rin's reincarnation…and she  _knew it!_  His golden eyes were wide as he held on to the female for dear life.  _I would have given up everything for this moment!_

Nothing and everything made sense to her in that moment. Most of every dream or vision she had ever had that included Sesshomaru's presence had been her memories! But not of her current life, oh no! Those dreams had been of her previous life, but she still had working knowledge of her current one as well. Two lives, she recalled! But in  _one_ body!

_What has happened to me? Why have been given this new life? Oh, Lord Sesshomaru! Why am I only finding you now? Have I truly gone so far away?_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter Twelve** _

Even in the dead of night, she dreamed less than during the day. For the first night in her entire life since before the death of her family, Rin felt a sense of calm about herself. All of the wrongs in her youth were dissolved into dust, along with her dislike for her newest situation. For the time being, as she turned over in her bed to face the window of her room, Rin, along with her soul, was at peace.

A silent tear fell down her pale left cheek and rolled onto her arm which she had beneath her head to prop herself up. Gazing out into the stars, she sniffed, the closed her eyes to rid herself of her pesky tears, not really sure why she was crying in the first place, but was annoyed by it nonetheless. Every part of her knew that the body she was living in was alien, but it still felt familiar.  _So bizarre to feel like two beings at once. It's even more so because I remember how I came to be in this place in time, and I know who everyone is that I was introduced to, tonight. Some memories of my present body have become dulled by the resurrection of my past and though it is all coming at me at once, I feel more alive now than I ever have in both of my lives. Oh, my Lord Sesshomaru…I now realize that, despite our absence of each other over many years, it is as if we were never parted. That is…until I remember Lord Sakuya._

Rin held her breath, almost positive that her abdominal pain would return at the thought of the wolf's name, but heaved a sigh of relief as it did not. She closed her puffy eyes again and smiled knowingly to herself.  _It all makes sense to me now. This pain I have felt in my stomach was that of a phantom pain caused by the memories of my murder. Any slight recollection of it before I knew who I was would have me suffering with debilitating pain. But now that I am aware of myself, the pain is no more._ Rin moved a hand beneath her bed covers and rested it flat against her stomach instinctively.  _I was pregnant._ Her cheeks blossomed with color and she quickly withdrew her hand.  _I guess my Miho self is still not used to the idea of any form of intimacy…I can't say I am, either, because I didn't experience any type in my new body._ She bit her lip and blushed deeper.

Rin sighed and quickly changed the course of her thoughts.  _I'm so glad Kasumi and Hisoka didn't catch on, and I'm especially glad that Lord Sesshomaru released me before they showed up. Otherwise, I would have been locked away in my room for the remainder of this life._  She smiled brightly to herself.  _Like Lord Sesshomaru would allow that to happen._

Recalling the events after recovering her memories made Rin's face fall, though. Before the appearance of her guardians, Sesshomaru had nearly squeezed her hard enough to crush her bones. The pain he must have felt at watching her die for the third and final time was no doubt present in his embrace, and she felt sick with relentless guilt. But then she remembered the reason in which she had been murdered.  _I was not worthy to be the mate and wife of the Lord of the Western Lands…nor was I fit to carry my Lord's child._ Rin/Miho's heart clenched in misery over Lord Sakuya's words and she choked on the lump in her throat caused by her own anger and guilt. " _My Lord, forgive me!"_ Rin/Miho had whispered through her torment as she clung to the front of Sesshomaru's kimono. " _Lord Sakuya told me that I was carrying our son before I died! I know he had killed him with that dagger in my stomach! Oh, Lord Sesshomaru, I'm so sorry!"_

" _Stop this, Rin_."

Rin shivered at the familiar tone in Sesshomaru's smooth but deep voice and her heart flipped inside of her chest. She was beyond happy at knowing that he had not given up hope on finding her.

Sesshomaru had heard enough to know exactly who it was he was holding and he wanted nothing more than to do just that, but he could not out of worry that should Rin/Miho's guardian return and catch them in their embrace, he might have to kill them and run away with her. With one more minute of holding her, he took in her unfamiliar scent in order to be sure that he could find her again and then pulled away to search the face of Miho for any sign of Rin's past appearance.

He recognized the fire in her eyes, the determination that she alone had control of her own destiny, and he fell in love with them all over again. Next, he noticed the way in which her lips were pressed together as if she were in deep thought…and saw Rin past Miho's exterior. They were the same height, Rin and Miho, but they were not similar in the face past those two features. Sesshomaru didn't mind though because despite the foreign features, he still saw her for who she was. "I do not want to remember the night I watched you slip away from me. The thought is too painful." His own heart clenched when he saw the sadness in her eyes. "For now, I wish to enjoy knowing that even though you are not the same as you were before, I have found you and I will  _not_ let you go again." Outside, Sesshomaru never broke out of his cool shell, but inside, he couldn't wait to take her away from this place and start over with her.

Across the room, Kagome and Inuyasha had gone quiet and were hugging each other while watching the event unfold before them. Inuyasha didn't need to see his mate's face to know that Kagome had been reduced to tears. " _I can't believe that she was pregnant! Sesshomaru didn't say one word about it to any of us!"_

Inuyasha hugged her closer to his chest and shrugged. " _Sesshomaru barely speaks to anyone about anything, Kagome._ " That was only half true. Over the years, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had grown closer in a way. They weren't exactly exchanging hugs and friendly conversations, but they had stopped trying to ignore each other if they crossed paths. Not to mention, Sesshomaru had stopped trying to blame their father's death on him, which cleared the tension somewhat in the air around them. After a few random encounters, they would exchange civil words for a moment of two before parting ways. During those encounters, Inuyasha often wondered what the source of his brother's new attitude was, but never imagined that when Rin was murdered, she had been carrying Sesshomaru's half demon child.

Knowing now what he wasn't aware of then shed a whole new light on what was going on in front of him.  _My human hating, half demon despising, full demon brother had taken a_ _ **human**_ _mate and was going to be the father of a half breed like me! The hell!_  As far as Inuyasha was concerned, the world had come to an abrupt end.

Kagome, however, was thinking other thoughts.  _She was pregnant at the same time as me when she died! That would mean that if she had not been killed, their child would have survived and been around the same age as Ehren! Oh, that would have been wonderful! A cousin for my son!_ But Kagome's hopeful thoughts were dashed once she remembered the circumstances.  _But she didn't survive. Rin was killed right after her son…_ Kagome's motherly instincts kicked in and she suddenly had a strong urge to find her own son and hug him and her mate until they couldn't stand her anymore.

Rin had somehow managed to think along the exact same path.  _"Oh, Kagome!"_ She cried while twisting around in her Lord's arms to face her old friend. " _I remember when you told me you were pregnant! Your son is beautiful! I'm so sorry I wasn't there to see him when he was born!_ "

Kagome's sad eyes began to smile through a fresh batch of tears as she couldn't believe who it was she was talking to. "Thank you, Rin." She released a shaky laugh and almost choked on a happy sob. " _I told him about you, you know. Whenever your name came up in conversation, he would always ask me about you. He wanted to know what you looked like, what you acted like…if you would have been a wonderful aunt. Ehren has never met you and yet he loves you as if he already knew you…he will be excited to finally meet you."_

It was Rin's turn to sob.

She pushed herself out of Sesshomaru's embrace and crossed the room faster than the wolf demon Kouga would have done to get to Kagome. Kagome also escaped her husband's arms in order to receive the most wonderful hug she had ever gotten from a long time friend. They held each other for a while after that, not caring that the two brothers were left standing on opposite ends of the room, staring at their two loves in shock.

"Lady Kagome, your son has…" Kasumi interrupted the scene upon opening through the teahouse door and was momentarily stunned by the affection she was witnessing in the room. Blinking the shock out of her eyes, she put her hands on her hips and cleared her throat.

Not giving Kagome a chance to speak, Inuyasha addressed Kasumi while crossing the room to stand in front of her. "Our son has what, Kasumi?"

'Um…" Kasumi's mind went blank for a second. "Um…oh! Yes, um…your son had woken up and was wondering when you would be coming to bed. He said he felt a little lonely." She shrugged. "I suppose the room was a little too dark for him. Shall I bring him to you?"

Before Inuyasha uttered a syllable, Kagome beat him to the punch and appeared beside him. "No, that is quite alright. I will go and tend to him myself. Excuse me." She pushed past them both, but not before giving Inuyasha a quick peck on the lips and whispering. " _I'll see you in a few minutes?_ "

Inuyasha nodded dumbly and watched her disappear out the door.

Rin stood paralyzed as the realization hit home in her mind.  _Oh gods! I'm still Miho! Kasumi will think I've gone insane if she finds out!_

Kasumi stepped past Inuyasha to get inside the tea house and her jaw dropped upon seeing Miho. "Miho, what on earth!"

Back in her room, Rin remembered the look on Kasumi's face perfectly. Rin had only just recalled that she was still drenched in mint tea and surrounded by four men, three of them demons, one human, and two out of the four were crouched down behind an overturned table watching her as if she might explode. Everyone knew what had happened and why…except her 'sister'.

Kasumi was dumbfounded. "Um, Miho…why are you covered in the tea?"

Rin searched her memories quickly and recovered a few of Miho's thoughts before answering. "Oh! Um…I tripped on my hem and landed on the table." She smiled as innocently as possible. "These gentlemen were kind enough to help me up!"

"Uh huh. And who are you?" Kasumi turned her attention to Sesshomaru, who had not been there when she left Miho alone.

Inuyasha jumped to Rin/Miho's aid with an explanation. "This is my older brother, Sesshomaru! Sorry, I forgot to mention that he would be joining us. He was a bit late in showing up."

"And why are they using the table as a shield?" Kasumi nodded in the direction of Shippo and Miroku, who were still hiding from them.

Again, Inuyasha answered. "My brother and I were demonstrating some of our sword fighting tricks and my friends decided that they could be safer behind the table."

Kasumi had one more question. "Then why isn't Miho also behind the table."

Rin/Miho answered this time. "Because Lord Sesshomaru was teaching me a specific technique. I asked them if they would show me when I noticed their swords. You know I can't resist learning new tricks, 'sister'."

Kasumi looked around the room and surveyed each and every face before stopping on Miho's face. "Alright then, I think it is time to retire, gentlemen. Miho, come along." She turned and exited the room.

Rin/Miho sighed with relief before she looked around at everyone and half smiled. "And this is what you have all come to find me living with." She bowed to no one in particular and turned her attention to Sesshomaru, who was regarding her with a hooded gaze. "Stay?" She asked hopefully.

Sesshomaru did not respond with words, only nodded and Rin grinned, relieved, before she too left the room.

Back in her own bedroom, she finally felt the inevitable pull of sleep tugging at her drooping eyes. After a few minutes of fighting it, she slept with a smile on her face and dreamed of a silver haired demon without waking up screaming.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter Thirteen** _

Howls in the distant, dead of night startled the raven haired woman from her dreamless slumber. Fear gripped Miho's body to the point of momentary paralysis until another howl followed seconds later. Unable to tolerate it any longer, Miho jumped free of her sheets and landed on her left ankle sideways, resulting in a series of pops that could be felt as deep as her bones. "Ouch! Damn it!" She snarled through clenched teeth as she dropped to her knees. Clutching her foot with one hand, Miho bowed her head is frustration before she released a heavy sigh to blow off her stress.

More howls echoed from outside, giving Miho's heart a jolt in her chest before she realized that the sounds were coming closer with each one.  _Coyotes?_ She inquired to herself before another howl changed her mind.  _It doesn't sound like a wolf…but it isn't a coyote either._  Miho cringed as a deep ache took hold of her ankle and she rubbed it before getting up off the ground.  _A dog, maybe? Why would there be a dog running loose on the grounds?_  She glanced sideways out her parted window and studied the night forest, eager to spot something that may have not been there before, but nothing caught her eye. The howling stopped.

Miho raised a questioning eyebrow, then shrugged it off, not really sure why she cared if there was a stray animal running loose. As long as it wasn't something dangerous, there was no need to cause alarm for the house occupants.

Instead investigating further, she held her breath and took an agonizing step forward to test the boundaries of her sprained ankle and whimpered when the pain shot up her leg. "AH!" Miho closed her eyes in frustration, but took another step forward anyway.  _Damn…it's defiantly sprained and Kasumi is going to murder me for it! Alright Miho! Don't panic and everything will be fine…right?_

_Kasumi doesn't seem so bad._  Miho's eyes widened as a foreign, yet familiar voice entered her mind.  _She can be a little dramatic sometimes, but she doesn't seem so bad._

Miho's jaw dropped and she fell to her knees once again. Her finger nails dug into the carpet beneath her as she responded aloud to the voice that she couldn't place. "Who…who is there? Who are you?"

The same voice answered back inside of her mind.  _Don't be frightened, Miho…I am Rin. We are one in the same._

Miho struggled to keep her cool but it wasn't that easy with a voice that didn't belong to her floating around inside of her brain.  _I am going nuts…that's it! I have finally cracked!_

The foreign voice known as Rin responded again.  _Master Jaken would find that most amusing if it was true…but you are not losing your mind. If you were, you would most likely have jumped from your window by now, right?_

The maiko was struck dumb, unable to answer back and allowed her mind to void itself of all thoughts.

What was left knocked her unconscious. The figure of a woman stepped out of the shadows in her imagination and was smiling kindly. Her body shape resembled Miho's with the exception of her face and hair. This woman's hair was black as night, and her deep brown eyes held a certain kind of light that left Miho straining to keep hold of her reality long enough to see more, but her vision faded with the sight of Rin's face transforming from kindness to sorrow.  _Sleep now, Miho. Come back when you remember me…_ She whispered before the world disappeared.

Rin took control of her new body as Miho retreated into the land of their dreams, and she rose off the ground and proceeded to walk over to the window to gaze out into the night forest for herself.  _I know that howl…how could I not know it?_ Rin grimaced as she experienced the pain of a sprained ankle for the first time in what felt like centuries rather than decades.  _At least it isn't broken,_ she thought while looking into the foliage just beyond the protective layer of the glass of her window.  _Where are you, my Lady? I know it was you who woke us from our sleep._

Just when she was about to give up, a single figure emerged from the coverage of thick trees and silently beckoned Rin with its powerful presence. " _Demon."_  She whispered to no one in particular before she turned in a flash and hobbled her way as quickly as she could out of her room. Careful not to wake the occupants in the rooms surrounding hers, Rin reduced her hopping to less noisy shuffles and made it to the top of the stairs without so much as a creak from the wood flooring. With a quick calculation, she managed to find herself safely to the bottom of the stairs with very little sound once she regained her hopping motion and then went back to shuffling to reduce the risk of being heard as she made her way past Kasumi and Hisoka's quarters.  _Miho could have become a ninja if she wanted to, but instead, ended up as a Geisha! How my soul ever came to find itself in a world as bizarre as this, I shall never know._

Rin, by some miracle, managed to find herself outside in no time at all, and she leaped off the porch onto the cold hard earth of the Tea house garden. Unfortunately, she landed on both feet, and sharp stabs of pain shot back up her left leg and into her hip, resulting in her collapsing on the ground for a third time and letting out a sudden cry that nearly stopped her heart. Rin clapped her hands over her mouth afterward, hoping that by some miracle, her mistake would fall on deaf ears and she could escape unnoticed.

She didn't.

"Do all women here act as strangely as you?"

Rin nearly jumped free of her skin and whipped her head around back to the porch. A small figure had been sitting silently in the shadows near the steps. In her haste to get out, Rin had been completely ignorant of the fact that she had passed within a few inches of this figure without realizing he was there.

The figure was sitting still as stone for a few seconds before he emerged into the small sliver of light that was being produced by the crescent moon that hung overhead. He was a child, no more than seven years old in appearance and had long silver hair that seemed to glow despite the lack of a full moon, and he held the most mesmerizing golden eyes she had ever seen since…

Rin let out a breath and smiled past her fear of being discovered. "No, young Lord. I am the only strange woman who lives here." She bowed forward as she realized just who it was that was standing in front of her. "You must be the son of Priestess Kagome and Lord Inuyasha."

The little boy did not smile, but did not frown either. He was just simply curious as he watched her through his familiar amber eyes. "My name is Ehren." He stood taller than the average child, which made Rin believe he was much older than the age of seven she had previously guessed. "You are correct in your assumptions that I am their son."

Rin blushed deeply, unsure as to why she was embarrassed by his statement, but something in the way that he spoke made her think of the man she had fallen in love with. "And you are the nephew of Lord Sesshomaru." She could see it now, the resemblance. It was uncanny how much this child looked so much like his father and uncle. Rin even spotted the crescent moon symbol through Ehren's ruffled bangs.

"You know of my uncle?" Ehren spoke with mild interest while he bent forward to sit down up on the porch steps. He gazed up at her quizzically.

Rin was amazed by this boy's fearlessness in the presence of a stranger, though that didn't make up for the fact that she herself was still a little frightened by having been caught in the act of slipping out of the house. To calm herself, she focused on regaining a few more memories that had been buried until now and she smiled unknowingly as she recounted the events before her death. "I knew your parents long before your birth, as well as your uncle. In fact, I am more familiar with Lord Sesshomaru than your father, but that is a tale for another time."

Ehren said nothing.

Rin continued with a smile. "I was there when your mother revealed that she was carrying you."

"Then you knew Lady Kaede?"

Rin felt her bottom jaw give away to the shock of hearing her old mentor's name, but recovered quickly and nodded. "I did. No doubt she was the one that helped you into this world, I assume?"

Ehren nodded, revealing for the first time a smile. "She passed away a few years after I had been born. She was like my grandmother in a way."

Rin's heart clenched. "I wish I had been there before she had passed. I cared for her dearly."

"I do not recognize you from that time." Ehren narrowed his beautiful eyes at her. "You are not a part of my early childhood. Who are you?"

It was only then that Rin had realized her mistake.  _I never told him who I was! Should I say it? Should I explain who I am and how I ended up here? Will Kagome be angry? Or Inuyasha? Or…Sesshomaru?_ "I…I…"  _I have no choice now._ "I'm… _Rin."_  She whispered her name, praying that the little boy had not heard.

But he had. Ehren's eyes widened for a moment and Rin could have sworn she had seen a glow light them up as if locating a wonderful idea in his brain. "My lady, I have seen pictures of my aunt Rin, and you do not resemble her. It is not kind to make fun of my deceased loved ones."

Rin's own eyes widened in disbelief. "Kagome didn't…tell you, did she?"

Ehren stood suddenly, shocking her with anger deep in his molten eyes. "My mother is asleep upstairs with my father. I could not sleep, so I came outside to admire the sky so that I would not awaken them. But I will if you continue to pretend to be someone that you're not that my family cared deeply for!"

"But I'm…!"

"Enough!" Ehren stopped his little foot, which made very little sound thankfully, and turned around quickly to stomp back inside of the tea house, leaving Rin speechless and shocked.

"Well… _that_  didn't exactly go as well as I thought it would…"  _Perhaps I should have waited until morning to delve into those memories for a complete stranger. Maybe then Kagome's son wouldn't have gone off in a rage._ Rin gulped as a sudden thought entered her brain.  _He's going to wake them up!_

Rin summoned her strength and bit her lip as she turned quickly to take off for the entrance of the forest.  _Must get out of here!_ Ignoring the pain in her swelling ankle, she hobbled, dragged and hopped herself into the cover of the trees and managed to find herself closing in on the location of the house's hot spring.  _I came out here looking for the figure that I had seen from my window. It was too big to have been Ehren. This is the only way it could have gone…unless I'm just seeing things…but I can't be!_ The edge of the forest came into view and she spotted the rising steam in the distant night.

Rustling leaves stopped her cold just before she broke through the foliage. Rin's back snapped straight, and the air stilled from the shock. " _Hello?"_ She whispered despite her fear. Nothing would stop her now. " _I know you're out there!"_ More rustling came from beyond her cover leading to the spring.

Rin harnessed Miho's inner demon training and she reached down to unhook the hidden dagger strapped to her right ankle. With the grace of a wild cat about to pounce, she crouched low, paused to contemplate her situation, dove out of her cover. Rin curled into a ball, rolled out into the open air and jumped to her one good foot with her dagger poised to strike…and then she dropped it upon seeing the two figures that were standing only a few feet away from her. " _L-Lord Sesshomaru? Wha…?"_

Sesshomaru stood, facing Rin, as tall and mesmerizing as ever. To his left stood a woman who had her back to her, but turned just after the dagger stabbed the ground at Rin's feet.

The woman was almost as tall as Sesshomaru, but had the most beautiful long crimson hair she had ever seen. Her face was pale, even in the dark of the night. But even in the dark, she could not hide the claw like scars that painted an angle down her right eye and over her lips. Her eyes, too, glowed like liquid gold in the night…and Rin shook violently from the realization.

" _Oh gods…U…U-Ura!"_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter Fourteen** _

Rin held her breath while standing there watching, waiting…praying that the figure standing regally before her would not dissolve into the winds like an icy phantom playing with her already fragile mind. So much had already happened to her in the previous day that wrapping her thoughts around seeing a woman whom she had already seen murdered seemed like a bizarre dream clinging to the outer edges of her brain, taunting and teasing. Nothing made sense, and the more she tried, the more stunned she became. Even seeing her wasn't enough to make Rin believe Ura was actually there, so she turned her attention on the figure of the man that made her very bones quiver with unresolved emotions. "My Lord…Sesshomaru…I can't really be seeing what I'm seeing, can I? I-I mean…can you see..?"

Sesshomaru laid his golden orbs on her for one guarded moment before filling the silence with a voice that tightened Rin's unfamiliar flesh in several very familiar places. "The last time you saw her before your death, my sister had been brutally slain at the hands of a demon who I foolishly trusted with both of your lives…I had every intention of burning her remains along with yours, Rin, but even Jaken protested in order to restore her soul to her mangled body." Sesshomaru stepped toward his sister while keeping his eyes directly on Rin. "Ura's body, of course, had to be healed. I had called upon the priestess Kaede, your mentor, to aid her as well as she could…but even she could not completely heal the wounds that had been inflicted on my sister. If I were to bring her back, she would be scarred for the rest of her existence…so I gave her the choice of returning to her body from the Underworld and living with those scars, or remain in death."

"Naturally, I chose to live." Ura's kind, yet mischievous voice reached Rin's ears.

Rin, or course, was paralyzed by emotions that her new body had already grown accustomed, and she eventually crumbled beneath the weight of herself. Her knees hit the ground first before her hands had a chance to catch up and the pain sent shockwaves up her thighs while she gripped the earth. Her petite hands clenched fistfuls of grass and dirt, desperate to cling to her reality.

Before Sesshomaru took a step in her direction, Ura had already made it to Rin's side.

"Deep breaths, my dear…deep breaths…" Warm arms draped across Rin's shoulders and pulled her into an embrace.

Instead of the comfort that she expected, Rin experienced a bright flash of white behind her clenched eyelids and blood clouded her vision once she opened them to stare into the night.

Crimson beads of liquid life painted the surrounding trees in the most devilish red that Rin had ever seen. Blood spatter dressed the ground in a cloak of fire. Even the soil beneath her own body appeared soaked in it.

Rin's lungs constricted, forcing the air to expel from them in a harsh gust. Hyperventilation drove her body into a bout of vicious tremors, making the fear of her surroundings appear that much worse. Instead of allowing the comforting arms of Ura to resolve her inner turmoil, she released the badly bruised ground from her aching hands and shoved the female dog demon away from her.

Ura tumbled backwards, stunned by this foreign woman's bodily strength. Or course she knew exactly who it was that she had been embracing, but even knowing that wasn't enough to keep her expression of shock veiled by concern. She looked up toward her brother and caught a pair of eyes that mirrored hers. They both had clearly been caught off guard.

Almost instantly, the blood had vanished from Rin's sight, leaving her speechless and unable to defend her actions to the most powerful pair of demons she had even known. " _Oh…gods…"_ She whispered to herself. Rin blinked stupidly before looking up into the face of the woman she had been allowed to call sister in her previous life. " _Blood…I…I saw blood…everywhere, when you touched me."_  Hot tears drenched her face as she confronted a ghost from her past. " _Just now, there was blood on everything, Ura! When I saw you…mutilated, freshly murdered…I-I was so sick with grief. I remember the blood! That wolf painted the walls and floor with your blood, and I could see it still!"_ Rin was nearly shouting. The buried feelings came into light and set a raging fire within her aching body. She was angry. No, she was more than that. Rin was beside herself, filled with the poison of bitterness and unlikely to forget the hatred she felt toward the wolf demon that had been the source of her own pain and murder.

She used her dirt covered hands to wipe the salty tears away from her cheeks and then moved to stand. Completely ignoring the protest of her swollen ankle, Rin stood erect on both feet and steadied herself before turning her attention away from the auburn haired demon to stare into the amazing eyes of her demon lord. "I want to  _kill_ him, my lord…I  _need_ to end his life! I want to  _rip him apart and make him feel the agony that I felt on the day I died! I WANT TO KILL HIM!"_ Rin, by now, had begun to scream her intentions into the dense forest, not caring if she woke the entire world. She had finally reached her breaking point so much in fact that both Sesshomaru and Ura sprang forward to quiet her down.

Before Ura could reach the shaking human, Sesshomaru was already there and had trapped Rin in a one armed embrace while he sealed a free hand over her still frantically moving lips. " _Enough of this, Rin!"_ He growled from deep within his chest. This was not a position Sesshomaru normally found himself in, and it confused the only other witness to the scene, Ura, to the point that she had to blink several times to convince herself she was actually seeing what she was seeing.

Rin struggled fiercely in his hold. She gripped Sesshomaru's steel like hand and yanked on it with everything that she had while she kicked her knee upward to make contact with the only known area of his body that might bring even the strongest male to his knees. Unfortunately for her, Sesshomaru was quicker than lightning and dodged her attacks by jolting his hip sideways in order to catch Rin's knee cap with his thigh muscle. Luckily for him, he barely felt it. Sesshomaru had had enough. "Stop this, Rin!" His voice got deeper upon saying her name, which appeared to be enough to stop the struggling woman from wearing herself out with her foolishness.

Ura was dumbfounded by the whole situation. Even in her wildest dreams, she never imagined that her eldest brother could be so…forgiving, despite being constantly attacked by the same assailant. Especially given that the assailant was the reincarnation her brother's former mate. Before their murders, Ura remembered that Rin barely got away with anything that might make Sesshomaru seem like a weak demon if they were in front of others. Her actions reflected on him just like any other person of high rank, and even in his castle, he never let his guard down…except once. That would claim to be the biggest and  _only_ mistake he would make in his life.

Rin knew her struggles were in vain, but she couldn't help but feel bitter and angry.  _Ura was MURDERED! I was MURDERED! My unborn child had been murdered before I had the chance to care for it and Sakuya deserves the worst type of punishment for taking me away from my Lord Sesshomaru!_  Her internal battle seemed to drain her of her energy faster than when she had nearly kneed Sesshomaru in the groin and attempted to fight him.  _I want to see that wolf's blood! I want…!_

While she continued to yell at herself about all of the things that were taken from her, the man holding her tightened his grip around her waist and glared into the deep brown eyes of a woman scorned. "You cannot kill him, Rin! Do you honestly believe I allowed him to get away after what he had done?"

Rin ignored his question and continued to shout in the privacy of her thoughts.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes after several seconds and leaned down to whisper in the struggling woman's ear. " _He is dead! Rin…I already killed him for his acts_."

The words had to sink in before she could fully understand the gravity of the confession, but she still harbored anger toward the deceased in a way nobody could understand. The reality stung a lot worse than she had ever anticipated. Thoughts of her unborn child surfaced at a rate that brought her to her knees again, and this time she brought Sesshomaru with her. Only now, she clung to his robes as if they were a lifeline anchoring her to the present and fighting off the past with an invisible sandalwood club. The hand that held her mouth dropped away slowly as if unsure if it was a good idea until finally settling back to the ground to support both of their weights on his legs.

The words eluded her in that moment. They had locked themselves deep within her mind and she could not find the key to release them.

Ura was astounded by the viciousness in which Rin's reincarnation had reacted upon laying eyes on her after nearly sixty years. "Brother, perhaps we should return her to the main house?"

Sesshomaru was silent while he held onto Miho's body, afraid that any minute his Rin would disappear. When the words of his sister reached his ears, his body tensed inside. The thought of sending Rin back to a place where her new body has been beaten, or where she might be touched by other  _men_  made him physically ill. But they had to be smart about it. They couldn't just disappear with this woman in the night. It would cause and uproar and no doubt Inuyasha and Kagome would be hot on their trail before the morning sun had a chance to paint the sky blue.

He let out a gruff sigh and spoke softly, but firmly as not to startle to female in his grasp. " _She needs to rest, Ura. And she has also sprained one of her ankles, so she will be unable to perform for a few days at that…teahouse. That will give us time to prepare our leave."_

Ura nodded as Sesshomaru turned his molten eyes in her direction. She reached up and pushed a few strands of hair past her shoulders and then she looked down to study her violet and crimson kimono. "When should we leave, do you think?"

Rin, who had curled up into a blubbering ball of white fabric, had been surprisingly quiet during the sibling's exchanges. Upon hearing Ura's voice, her heart clenched in undeniable fear and she roughly pushed herself away from Sesshomaru's warm chest. Her face was stained with dry tears and dirt, and her hair poked out in various places, making her appear as if she belonged in the wild. Her eyes were wide and desperate and she soon located the key to her voice and released it swiftly. "NO! You can't leave! You can't! Don't… _don't leave me here! Please don't leave me here!"_  Memories of blood enveloped her mind and she began to dig her hands and fingers into the skin on either side of her temples. " _No…no!"_

Sesshomaru was on her fast, grabbing at her hands with mild strength and wrenching them free of her hair while he brought her back into his embrace, cutting off the images that flooded her brain like a tidal wave. "What made you think we were going to leave you behind, Rin? We're not, do you understand me?"

Ura joined in and moved to embrace them, making sure that her voice made it into the woman's ear. " _We are not leaving you here, alright? It's okay; there is no need to be afraid of that."_ She held her tight and addressed Sesshomaru. "Let's at least get her back to the main house and wake Inuyasha. He can keep an eye on her while we prepare for a long travel. We need to get her back to the castle as soon as possible."

Sesshomaru nodded in agreement. "Jaken!"

Rin's new body jolted and she looked up through her puffy eyes to find Sesshomaru's golden eyes staring down at her with a straight face. It was as if he hadn't shouted. "Wha..?"

"Yes, my lord?" The annoyingly familiar voice came from behind them all, and Rin turned in time to catch a glimpse of the imp demon she had grown very fond of in her previous life. He had emerged from the foliage to their left side.

A weak smile touched her lips through her teary haze. " _Jaken…"_ She whispered hoarsely. Her throat felt thick around her words.

The imp demon looked up at her with his saucer like eyes and smiled lightly before he turned his full attention to his master. "What is it, my Lord?"

Sesshomaru paused for a moment before answering. "Bring Inuyasha to me. Be quick about it."

Jaken studied his master curiously, but did not question him. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." He turned to disappear back into the forest.

"Jaken!"

The small imp froze in place, and then turned his head back into their direction. "My Lord?"

The great demon lord only gave him a steady look, which Jaken and Ura understood, but Rin did not.

Before little green toad vanished, his eyes traveled back to Rin's and a curious expression came over his features. He was smiling at her for the first time in a way that proved to her of his love and appreciation for her. Apparently, he had missed her presence in his life much like Sesshomaru. For the first time in this life, Rin felt home…and she would not lose them again.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15** _

Needless to say, Inuyasha was not amused by the prospect of being woken up before the light of dawn by a toad demon standing within mere inches away from his face. Jaken didn't even have to shake him. With the privilege of harboring canine demon genes, all Inuyasha required was his extremely talented nose. He could track a flea five miles away without even trying if he was familiar with the scent. His brother's little pet was no exception.

Upon catching the familiar stench of pure annoyance at its finest, Inuyasha furrowed his brow in irritation. He didn't even have to open his eyes to know that he was currently the object of study. "What the hell do you want, frog?" He growled through his just woken up haze.

Silence was Jaken's only reply.

Inuyasha peaked through the protection of his eyelids. He then sprang free of his quilted prison at the sight of plate sized yellow eyes gazing intently at him. " _Damn it, Jaken! What the hell?"_  He shouted before his brain had the chance to filter the fact that it was early in the morning and his mate and son were also in the room still fast asleep.

By the time it  _had_ registered, Kagome was up and wide awake grabbing for her bow and quiver of arrows. She was in the process of loading one up when Inuyasha dove at her. He spent a good ten seconds trying to wrestle the weapon out of her determined grasp. "Inuyasha! What's the matter? Is it Ehren? Is he hurt? Are you? Wha..?" Kagome paused upon seeing the silhouette of the little toad demon in the darkness of their room past Inuyasha's naked shoulder. She squinted/narrowed her eyes in Jaken's direction. " _Jaken!"_ She snarled.

"Mother?" A small voice questioned in the darkness behind the annoyed priestess.

Kagome's maternal instincts kicked in fast and she turned away from her husband to reach for her son, who was currently rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "We didn't mean to wake you, baby. Everything is alright." She grabbed for Ehren and brought him into her arms for a hug.

Inuyasha's heart warmed at the affection in the room, but it soon cooled when he remembered that there was a fourth member in their room. With no warning, he let go of Kagome's weapon and one of his arms shot out to grab Jaken by the collar of his brown robes. He hoisted him up into the air, making them eyelevel. " _The hell are you doing here, imp_?" He growled through clenched teeth, trying desperately to stay calm in front of his son. Kagome, of course, was used to seeing him lose his mind to rage when provoked, but Ehren was lucky enough to have only ever seen him get slightly angry.

It was Jaken's turn to speak, which didn't come easy because Inuyasha was currently in the process of choking the life out of him with his own robes. " _Lord Sesshomaru sent me to bring you to him! It is a matter of great urgency!"_

Not believing him, Inuyasha narrowed his honey colored eyes and growled once again. "Do I look stupid to you?"

"As a matter of fact…" Jaken began but was abruptly cut off.

"Don't answer that!" Inuyasha snarled in the imp's face.

"Listen, you stupid fool, Lord Sesshomaru requires your…" Jaken flinched before finishing his statement. "… _help!"_  He shuttered a little inside at the thought of his master needing the help of his half blooded brother. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't true!" By this point, Jaken was holding onto the hands that were holding onto his robes for dear life. "And for goodness sake, put on some clothes!" He managed to shout at Kagome, who was still holding onto her son. For some reason, Kagome had decided to wear an extremely skimpy looking rose colored satin nightgown that was no doubt a present from the future she had originated from. The sight of it brought heat to the imp demon's face.

Golden eyes flared angrily, making Jaken regret having been forced into this quest by his master.

Inuyasha released Jaken's robes, sending the imp straight down into the wood flooring beneath them. "Huh! What does he want so early in the morning, anyway?"

Jaken stood up and began to rub his smarting backside when he gave Inuyasha a death glare. "Rin sprained her ankle. For her safety, Lord Sesshomaru must not be seen bringing her back inside, otherwise he would have done it himself. Her being in this new body is turning into quite a pain!"

Kagome, a little more annoyed by Jaken's clothing remark than his disruption to her sleep cycle, released her son and turned to glare at him. "Miho sprained…I mean  _Rin_  sprained her ankle?"

Jaken nodded.

"Rin?" A young male voice asked shyly.

Everyone turned their attention on Ehren, who was busy staring at Jaken with confusion written clearly in his eyes.

His golden orbs studied him for a moment and then traveled over father to rest on mother. "Are you talking about the younger woman with the raven hair that goes down all the way to her backside?"

Inuyasha nodded.

Ehren continued. "You mean…that really was my aunt?"

Kagome blinked. "What are you talking about, love?"

"I…I went outside a little while ago and saw her walking out of the house. She tried to tell me who she was, but I thought she was just playing a mean joke on me or something." Ehren looked down at his hands which he was wringing nervously. "I threatened to tell on her because she made me mad…but I only said it to scare her. I came back in and went to bed. I didn't think she was actually telling me the truth."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at her son and put her hands on her hips. "What were you  _doing_ outside this late? And why didn't you wake me up and  _say_ something?  _Honestly!_ "

Inuyasha chuckled to himself before he became the voice of reason and went to his son's defense. "He's his father's son, Kagome." He shrunk two sizes when his mate's eyes rounded on him.

"Don't give me that!  _Where are those prayer beads when I need them_?" She growled out loud to herself.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Buried twenty feet underground so you can't  _sit_ me anymore." He turned back to his son, who was watching him closely. "We were going to tell you in the morning about Rin, squirt. I'll go and see what Sesshomaru wants, and while I'm gone, your mother can explain what's going on. Deal?"

Ehren hid his smile from his fuming mother and nodded.

Jaken, who had his arms folded in impatience during this whole exchange sighed with relief once Inuyasha got up and dressed.

After a few minutes, both exited the room, leaving an extremely ticked off mother with her terrified son.

(In the forest)

Rin clung to the front of Sesshomaru's robes when Jaken returned with Inuyasha. She wondered if their relationship had improved over the last few decades of her absence but wouldn't know until they confronted one another without the threat of Kasumi or Hisoka looming around.

Inuyasha made it into the clearing and paused at the display before him. Sesshomaru was on the ground, cradling a human woman on his lap and he did not have a look of disgust on his face. In fact, Sesshomaru looked more at peace now than he had ever seen him before. It was a little unnerving to say the least, but he kept his opinions to himself. "What's going on, Sesshomaru?"

Above Rin's head, she heard her Lord respond without any sort of malice in his voice. "The plan is effective immediately. I need for you to take Rin inside and protect her at all costs until is it time to leave."

Rin glanced over at the half demon, fascinated that he did not appear to resent his brother at all.  _They really must have changed over the years. Usually, Inuyasha would have drawn his sword by now._

Inuyasha stared his brother down for a few seconds before he nodded in agreement. To what, Rin didn't know. The half demon took a few steps in hers and Sesshomaru's direction. He was going to have to carry her back into the house.

From what her lord had told her, she could not been seen being hauled back to bed by a complete stranger. Even though Kasumi had already set eyes on Sesshomaru, Rin knew from Miho's mind that Kasumi was not the kind of woman to let someone as frightening as the great demon lord come within a few feet of her without knowing his clear intentions first. As much as Rin hated being taken away from him, she had to agree that it was for both of their benefits that she been seen with Inuyasha and Kagome rather than Sesshomaru and Ura.

 _URA!_   _Oh gods! Do they know of each other now? Have they met yet? Do they get along at all? Do they like each other despite the big bad older brother?_ Rin looked around wildly and found Ura standing quietly off to the side. She caught her eye and smiled. "Inuyasha, do you think I would be able to come back with you and see that Rin is alright?"

Just as Inuyasha was in the process of pulling Rin out of Sesshomaru's grasp, he looked up and shook his head in Ura's direction. "I'll make sure that the women are aware of you both after the sun comes up, but right now, she can't afford to be seen with anyone but me and Kagome. Don't worry though. If all else fails, you can just break the door down." There was obvious humor in his voice, which melted Rin's heart.  _So they do know each other…There is so much that I have missed. I can't wait to catch up._

 **The following day** started out horrible once Kasumi and Hisoka learned that Miho had sprained her ankle. The official story behind it was that Miho had been sleepwalking down the stairs and Inuyasha was the one who woke her in mid walk, causing the young maiko to miss a step and tumble to the ground. Kagome and him both got her back to her room and Kagome played nurse maid while Inuyasha went back to sleep next to his son.

The story fooled the women, but Rin knew just by searching Miho's memories that Kasumi would no doubt attempt at interrogating her more if given the chance. That woman could always tell that Miho was hiding something if in fact she was. Only…this particular secret was something that, if discovered, might land the maiko in permanent isolation for being insane. How often does the reincarnated soul of  _anyone_ recall past memories and assume their previous identity.

According to Kagome, it doesn't. The only example of something similar to Rin's situation was when Kagome had experience several flashbacks of Kikyo's life. But not once did Kikyo take control of Kagome's own body. This was something that the priestess knew was unheard of, or so she thought.

While Kagome sat beside Rin's bed musing to herself, Kasumi and Hisoka had Rin/Miho cornered and were busy reprimanding her like she was still a small child.

"Do you have any idea how serious this is? You have jeopardized your future with that little stunt!" Hisoka nagged her until Rin was sure that her ears were bleeding.

Kasumi soon joined in on the fun. "Not to mention the fact that we had to send a potential patron away to come back at a later date just so that you could have time to heal. This is unacceptable, Miho! Your debts to this house are vast, and  _this_ is the time where you begin to pay them off!"

Rin, who was sitting next to her vanity with her foot elevated on a stool could find very little to say in her own defense. She dug around Miho's brain searching for help and came up short. She didn't want to open her mouth and blow her cover. But if she didn't say something, she would have to listen to more nagging. If she allowed that to happen, then Rin would have to slap someone.

"I didn't do it on purpose, Kasumi! I was asleep and the next thing I know, I'm on the bottom of the staircase with a swollen foot!" That was her story and she was sticking to it.

Kasumi's eyes flared at her words. Her anger was written all over her face. "Don't take that tone with me! You have never walked in your sleep before, so there has  _got_ to be another explanation as to why you have blatantly risked your future as a successful Geisha! Out with it!"

Hisoka jumped to Miho's aid. "That is enough out of you, Kasumi! If falling down the stairs is what caused her sprain, than I have no reason to doubt it! There is nothing we can do about this now, so let it go." The older woman sighed heavily before dropping the ball on the currently disabled teenager. "As for you, Miho…until you are healed, you will be locked inside of your room day and night."

Rin's face must have paled considerably because she caught Kasumi trying to conceal a smirk that had flashed over her lips.  _I'll be a prisoner in this house for a week at least!_ "But that isn't fair! I did nothing wrong!"

"I have already decided. There will be no argument on the matter. Do you understand me?" Hisoka, who had been the voice of reason, was now the prison guard, here to carry out the cruelest sentence next to a beating.

Rin caught her bottom lip between her teeth to keep herself from yelling several very colorful expletives that would have damned her to an even more hellish punishment. Instead, she closed her eyes and nodded with a jerking motion to inform the two women standing just a few feet away that she did indeed understand, but that she also despised them for the harsh treatment.

"Very well, then." Hisoka had turned to leave with Kasumi in tow when she stopped and looked Kagome, who had been quiet during this whole argument. "Lady Kagome?"

Kagome had heard everything and felt a deep hatred toward to two older women, but hid her feelings like pro. "Yes?"

"You were the one who helped dress her wound and ease her pain. I will allow only you in to look after her. I would like you to inform me of her healing progress."

Kagome nodded in agreement, making a smile appear on the older woman's lips.

"Thank you." Was all Hisoka said before she and Kasumi disappeared out the bedroom door.

Kagome sighed heavily and turned to look at the furious looking woman sitting by the vanity. She stood up and strolled over to Rin's side. "Don't look so surprised by their reactions." Rin managed to say before Kagome could open her mouth.

Kagome sighed once again and shook her head. "You shouldn't be in a place like this, Rin. We need to get you out of here." The priestess crouched down next to the injured woman and placed one of her hands on Rin's while she looked into her bitter dark brown eyes. "Don't worry. I promise you right now you will be free within the next few days."

"What am I going to do, Kagome? I can't sit in this room like a prisoner! I need to see my friends! I want to see Lord Sesshomaru! How am I going to know what is going on if I can't see anyone other than you?"

"You know I would tell you everything that was happening! Please stop worrying!" Kagome squeezed Rin's hand and smiled when Rin squeezed back. "And don't you worry about not seeing Sesshomaru. He's outside your window right now, waiting for my signal for the all clear. Excuse me." Kagome stood up and walked over to the windowsill. She unlatched the lock and pushed it open, then stuck her head out and whispered some words that were incoherent to Rin. A few seconds later, Kagome returned and winked at her before she too left the room.

"Um…what's going on?" She asked no one in particular.

Her question was answered once a bright ball of light appeared outside her open window and molded into the frighteningly tall figure of her Sesshomaru. When he fixed her with his eyes, her heart stopped and her breathing hitched.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Chapter Sixteen** _

"Um…what's going on?" She asked no one in particular.

Her question was answered once a bright ball of light appeared outside her open window and molded into the frighteningly tall figure of her Sesshomaru. When he fixed her with his eyes, her heart stopped and her breathing hitched. "My Lord!" Rin hopped to her feet and shuffled her way over toward her window. Before she got to him, Sesshomaru was already standing inside of her room.

Her face lit up at his presence. Excited, she threw her arms wide to lunge forward and embrace him but stopped short when she noticed the heat in his gaze. Even in the ambient glow of the fading daylight, she could not escape those molten eyes of his. She remembered that look well and her body automatically reacted. Her skin flushed from her face all the way down to her covered chest. This man knew exactly what he was capable of and even though he had not said a word or touched her…and she secretly begged for him to do just that. But she held her tongue.

Sesshomaru took a silent step closer to her closing the space between them just a little more. Naturally, he showed little emotion but his eyes were predatory.

Rin gulped as her heart rate increased.  _He's hunting me…_  She mirrored his movements and stepped backward, ignoring the pain in her foot. On instinct, she lifted a hand to conceal her throat.

Sesshomaru's own hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist, forcing an unintended gasp to leave her drying throat. He took another step closer, bringing Rin's hand up to his mouth, exposing the delicate skin of her wrist in the process. Breathing in deeply, he felt his fangs pulse and his mouth salivate. She wanted him…badly. The blood beneath her flesh revealed her secret desire and he placed his lips at her pulse point.

" _Lord Sesshomaru…"_ Rin whispered. They both noted the huskiness in her voice. " _Are you…planning to claim me in my new body?"_

Honey eyes held her captive, daring her to protest against his obvious intentions.

" _Ah!"_  Her lips parted to release a startled cry as a warm velvet tongue snaked out Sesshomaru's mouth and licked her skin teasingly.

Every sensation he was forcing her new body to experience made her that much more desperate the fight them. She wanted him in every way that she could get him, but living in a new form heightened her awareness that in this life, she was most definitely a virgin. Miho, to Rin's knowledge, had never been this close to a man before. Upon remembering her first time, Rin's lower half clenched painfully and wet heat pooled in her belly. Instead of allowing the tantalizing sensations to consume her, Rin yanked her hand free of her Lord's grip and jumped back on her good foot.

The gold in Sesshomaru's eyes quickly took on a rose colored hue. Rin instantly regretted her actions. Sesshomaru was not someone to take rejection well, she soon found out.

" _Rin…"_ Sesshomaru's voice was calm, but Rin heard the threat attached to her name. " _Do you recall the last time you resisted me?"_  He moved so fast that she didn't even have a chance to blink before her back was being pressed into the adjacent wall from her window.

His words rang in her ear, making her shake from the memories of several decades ago.

_Sesshomaru hadn't even made a sound. He was standing right there, tall and menacing…and powerfully intimidating with his crimson eyes and elongated fangs. His clawed hands were clenched into fists at his sides, trying to calm himself but were unable to do so. "Rin." He growled a second time, causing the young woman to shiver in her kimono. He stepped toward her, and Rin stepped back._

_"Lord Sesshomaru, please…"_

_"Silence!" He jumped from his spot at the door and landed softly before her._

_"Oh!" Rin crossed her arms over her chest to minimize the exposure of her breasts and backed away in vain to escape Sesshomaru's reach. "I was just trying to change for you, my Lord…you said you didn't like my other clothes and I thought this would be better… Ah!" Sesshomaru had darted out and grabbed her arms and removed them from her chest, leaving her completely exposed. Rin blushed furiously, knowing she couldn't hide from his probing crimson stare. "Lord Sesshomaru, allow me to cover myself…"_

_"I said silence Rin." Sesshomaru's crimson gaze was calm, and a hint of honey gold had begun to resurface. His face remained beautifully pale, with dark purple streaks on either side of his cheeks, and the crescent mood on his forehead reminded Rin of his true demon nature. He was getting hold of himself. "Expose your throat to me." He commanded softly._

_Rin blinked, surprised at his gentle but demanding voice. "Huh?" She wondered softly. "Lord Sesshomaru…!" Her back met cold wood as he pinned her against the wall. She couldn't fight the power he used against her as she found herself with her arms above her head. "Oh!" A strange feeling tingled between her legs that she couldn't understand, and her heart thundered against her ribs, causing her chest to quiver and tighten at the cold touch of Sesshomaru's armor as he pressed himself against her. Rin didn't know if she should be frightened…or excited. "My Lord, you are not yourself." She whispered, unsure how to react to his assaults._

_"Give me your throat Rin." He commanded as he tightened his hold on her wrists._

_Rin gasped as his forcefulness. "My Lord, why?"_

_Sesshomaru's eyes had returned to their normal honey gold, but had not relinquished its fire. "I will not say it again."_

_Rin could not bring herself to disobey him. With cheeks flaming, she turned her head to her left side. A wave of goose bumps erupted all over her body as Sesshomaru's clawed hand lingered on her neck and she gasped when she felt his warm breath wash over her shoulder. He had removed one of his hands from her wrists but continued to hold her still with his other. "Do not fight me, Rin." He whispered in her ear as he closed to gap between them. He released her right arm from his grasp, allowing her to lower it, and he took the sleeve of her kimono and dropped lower to expose her more and pushed her hair farther back._

_Rin's mouth dropped into an O at the sudden blast of warm breath Sesshomaru expelled on her shoulder. She tilted her head farther over, waiting for whatever he might do. And then it hit her. 'He's going to claim me!' She thought, suddenly a little less frightened. Kagome said that Inuyasha had done the exact same thing to her. She willed herself to calm her trembling body as Sesshomaru breathed in her scent again. 'How could I not see it before?' "Lord Sesshomaru…AH!" Thick fangs punctured the skin between her shoulder and her throat and she couldn't help but cry out. Pain erupted into her senses causing her vision to cloud over._

_She felt the venom of his fangs seep into her throat, and before she could even will herself to push against him, he broke their connection. Panting, Sesshomaru pulled back to stare into Rin's shocked face. Her blood trickled, fresh on his perfect mouth, and dropped tears onto her breast. "I will allow no man, demon or human, to touch you without my permission. Do you understand?" His voice never faltered, leaving Rin to believe he had never even lost his composure._

_Before she could answer, Sesshomaru caught her by surprise yet again by taking one of his claws and placed it on her right breast. She nearly cried out as the demon before her sliced into the skin and drew a crescent shape. Rin gasped as she realized what he had just done. "You marked me, my Lord?"_

_Sesshomaru released her, leaving her to grasp her arms and rub away the soreness that his hand had caused. She caught his eyes taking her almost naked body into his view but never bothered to cover herself._

Back to the present, Rin felt the fabric of her white cotton kimono being pushed away down her arms. Cold air washed over her naked front and she shivered as her clothes hit the floor.  _"Oh gods! Lord Sesshomaru, not like this! Oh, please! Not like this!"_  She put her hands out and rested them against Sesshomaru's pure white kimono and her body nearly melted from his heat coming through his own clothes. The great demon lord, during this whole situation, had never taken his eyes off of hers. Rin was trembling under his intense look. " _I can't let them see…I mean…this body isn't familiar with…I just…damn it! I don't know what I mean!"_  Her face was the color of the late afternoon sun at its finest.

Sesshomaru studied her for a few seconds in silence. His body was throbbing from his want of her, but he knew she was scared. Fear of desire was one thing. Fear of becoming intimate and being discovered was another. Sighing heavily, he nodded once, gaining a relieved expression from the woman standing in front of him, but he had only agreed to one of the things she had assumed he was intending to do to her. "You're afraid that those vile women will see my presence on your throat, am I correct?"

Rin looked at him, confused but nodded while she took her hands off of his chest to cover her own.

"Very well," was all he said before he took his hands and snatched hers.

"WHA?" Startled, Rin could only obey his actions. She soon discovered what he was intending when her arms were forced above her head and held prisoner by her wrists. "My Lord!" Her breasts heaved from her sudden intake of breath, and she gasped when Sesshomaru's free hand came down to her face. His clawed thumb traced the contours of her parted lips, and for some stupid reason, Rin licked his skin against her better judgment when it got close enough.

Sesshomaru's molten eyes began to glow crimson, forcing her heart to thread faster. Her blood roared through her veins, making it extremely difficult to focus on anything other than him.

" _Don't fight me."_  The great demon lord commanded as he struggled to suppress his inner demon.  _"I have searched for you for many years, Rin, and I will not let this moment slip by. I'm going to mark you where no one but you can see it. Don't fight me…"_  He warned once again before he disappeared from her line of sight.

Hot breathe tickled the skin of her naked chest. That was when it dawned on her, and she began to struggle. Before the blood could drain from her suspended arms, she yanked on them as hard as she could and twisted her torso to avoid Sesshomaru's assault. It didn't take long for his iron strength the squeeze her hands together painfully. Using his free hand, he took it away from her lips and snatched her by the waist. With little effort, he pinned her hips against the wall as well and Rin could no longer move.

" _I warned you not to fight me!"_  Sesshomaru hissed out of sight.

_"Don't!"_  Rin cried before razor sharp fangs pierced the delicate flesh just above her crescent shaped birthmark near her right nipple. Her hands were released a second later and she dropped them to grab onto her mate's shoulders for support. As her blood exploded into his waiting mouth, his venom seeped into her body and took her over. Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around her waist and upper back and crushed her to him. There were no words to describe how much he missed holding his Rin in his arms, claiming her flesh and hearing the delicate sounds she made as a result of his touch.

Rin's knees gave under her weight and Sesshomaru held her up. Her head dropped back and her mouth hung open in a surprised O at the familiar feelings washing over her. Closing her eyes, she marveled at the feel of his tongue dancing expertly over his mark when he withdrew his demon fangs. When she opened them again and looked back down, she was mesmerized by the fire blazing inside of Sesshomaru's now crimson eyes. Her blood dripped from his parted lips, and it forced more wet heat to pool deep into her lower body.  _"Oh gods…my Lord, what have you done to me?"_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter Seventeen** _

"Brother…it has been a long time since we have set eyes on each other, hasn't it?" A cool, velvet voice emerged from the fading shadows of the misty forest.

Inuyasha knew before hearing her voice that it was Ura. His ears had perked up from the echo of distant footfalls, snapping innocent twigs underfoot in her wake. Her scent was evident before any of this, but knowing his sister, she might not have even bothered to come out of the shadows if it had been the night of a new moon.

A smirk dawned at his lips, revealing a single pearl white fang that revealed their family legacy to the dead of night. "Sister, I find it very hard to process that you were so close to this location without knowing Rin was here. Care to explain yourself?"

Inuyasha was currently keeping watch over the house that harbored his family and was gazing up at the black night sky when he glanced sideways at a widening gap in the forest. A slender figure emerged from the abyss of darkness, dressed in an ivory gown that, no doubt, belonged to his wife. A curtain of auburn hair was draped carelessly over her right shoulder, and molten gold peaked through a waterfall of red bangs.

Ura, though often thought of as distant and cold, was merely steady and all knowing…and the smirk that lit up her fare features mirrored that of Inuyasha, and sometimes even Sesshomaru. It was easy to see that they all shared the same lineage.

She stepped toward him without fear. Her feet were naked, as if she had just been roused from sleep and jumped out of bed to inspect a false disturbance. But she remained poised and lovely, despite the angry scars that painted thin lines slanted across her face. The ghostly evidence of her murder still left Inuyasha's blood boiling. "Do not think so hard on my scars, Inuyasha…I have earned my stripes, though not in battle, but because of my own foolishness." Her velvet voice lingered in the air until she finally reached the spot where he had himself perched. Standing stock still, she gazed at her brother's face and sighed. "The reason for my being so near is for the very same reason that you had been so near…to aid our brother in his search for the love he had once lost."

Inuyasha closed his eyes to shield his mind from the influences of his surroundings and managed to process Ura's words. It took him a moment to develop a response. "It's true. We weren't near Sesshomaru, but I could sense him whenever he moved or traveled. I simply followed his path. Not directly, but I did follow it. I'm almost positive that he was aware of us."

Ura nodded her understanding. " Yes…he wanted me close to ensure my own safety. Ever since my murder, he has turned into the over protective sibling that I wish I had grown up with long ago, just like you." Ura smiled in amusement. "Do not get me wrong. You and Sesshomaru are highly aware that I am more than capable of defending myself against all others, but of course, he witnessed the aftermath of my demise. I follow him as well, in hopes that he might find the love that which was taken from him…and that he might gain peace of mind that I can and will survive outside of his castle walls without his assistance."

Inuyasha sighed heavily. "I still can't believe he found her…Kagome knew only minutes after meeting her that Miho is Rin." His eyes opened and he turned them to face Ura. A half smile lingered on his lips. "I didn't even have a clue. Sesshomaru's scent was on her, that I knew, but not enough to guess it out right."

"Rin inhabits another form that is not unlike her own, brother. They have similarities, but this new body of hers will not…" Ura paused, filling the silence with a lingering buzz of unspoken secrets. She closed her eyes and lowered her head to inspect the ground at her feet. "Inuyasha, you must know something is wrong…I know you can sense the same thing that I am able to sense."

Once again, Inuyasha sighed, and then did something uncharacteristic. Instead of staying on his perch at the rocks, he jumped to the ground and became eye level with his half sister. Ura lifted her gaze up to meet his and they gazed at one another for a minute that felt like hours, filled with the pain of their unspoken truths. "I do sense something, Ura…I just can figure out what it is."

Ura's eyes, shimmering with tears yet to shed, gazed into the identical eyes of her half brother and laid out a secret that nearly shattered her resolve. "Rin, in her new form…is not alone in Miho's body. Both Miho and Rin inhabit the same form, Inuyasha. But that is not what is troubling to me." Ura breathed out a shaky lung full of air. "Miho's body cannot support two souls, which is what is happening…both will die if one of the souls being held in Miho's form is not released."

Inuyasha's eyes widened from this new information. "Can they not be spared? Is there a way to save them both?"

Ura stared into the troubled eyes of Inuyasha. "Two separate souls remain trapped in a single form. I have never heard of such a phenomenon in my entire life."

"Nor have I." Was the only response given by Inuyasha.

"I am afraid that in the time it will take Jaken to return to Sesshomaru's castle and back, Rin… _and_  Miho will be dead." Ura's eyes began to water. "Like you and Sesshomaru, I was born with the gift of a great power, not in the form of a sword, but in a form that remains invisible to us and cannot be seen. Like Sesshomaru…I can heal the wounds of others, but I cannot bring the dead back to life. If Kagome were to attempt to separate a soul from Miho's body, then I could only heal the body. I could only heal one soul…I cannot save them both. It is not within my power."

Inuyasha growled deep in his throat. "I don't understand! Sesshomaru, just  _now_ , laid claim to Rin in Miho's body. His demon essence should sustain them both!"

Ura lifted a slender, gracefully fare hand up to drag softly down her brother's left cheek in a useless attempt to calm his anger. "Oh dear brother…you know as well as I that our poison can only prolong the lifespan of the human flesh…not protect it from an impending death from within. I am afraid that Rin will not live long enough to see her former self again."

"Then we shall leave before the sun rises," a deadly voice broke through the two sibling's moment of silence. "I will not live to see Rin die again."

Ura and Inuyasha separated, almost in slow motion, and turned to face their older brother, Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru's piercing eyes traveled between his two younger siblings, his expression never changing as he remained cool and resigned in their presence. His voice pierced the silence once again. "The sun will peak over the horizon in less than an hour. There is no time to waste."

Ura nodded before she turned back to face Inuyasha, who was currently watching Sesshomaru with a look of great confusion. "Don't look so perplexed, brother. We have no time to waste."

Inuyasha ignored Ura and took a few steps toward Sesshomaru, who was standing nearly a yard away. Although the great demon lord was cloaked in a veil of shadows, his armored kimono gave off a bright glow as if a full moon hung heavy in the sky and cast its luminous beams directly on him. "Hold on! You're going to leave Rin here to die,  _alone?_   _What the hell are you thinking, you bastard?_ That is insane!"

" _Calm yourself, little brother!_ " Sesshomaru snarled venomously while his eyes narrowed into slits that resembled a deadly snake about to strike. "I know what is happening to Rin…what is  _going_  to happen to Miho and Rin both, but I can do nothing about it here if that body is slowly withering away from the weight of their souls." He turned his gaze away from Inuyasha and glared into the darkness surrounding them. "Miho…Rin will be coming back to my castle…with us."

Inuyasha's look of confusion returned. "Us?"

The gentle hand of their sister grasped his right shoulder, and Inuyasha turned away from Sesshomaru to face Ura, who bore a sincere look of determination. "This is a rather unusual, if not  _rare_  declaration of sibling loyalty, but yes. All of us will be returning to Sesshomaru's home.  _Come with us, Inuyasha…"_

The half demon had no time to dwell on their past sibling rivalries. Two souls were at the mercy of time, and time was not merciful.

Inuyasha closed his eyes, and nodded. "My wife and child will come along too. I will not leave them. Kagome would kill me if I tried."

Sesshomaru didn't even blink. "As you wish."

"Is Rin aware of all of this?" Ura stepped up to stand directly beside her half brother and face Sesshomaru eye to eye. "Does she know that she is dying?"

Sesshomaru was silent as the night for was seemed like an eternity, and he simply gazed out into the faces of his sister and half brother. "She does not even know that she is about to travel down a path that may eradicate her entire existence in this world…and she does not know that her previous body was preserved to receive the soul that once was erased from it…"


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter Eighteen** _

"Miho will not leave my custody. I do not relinquish her into your care, it is out of the question!" The elderly woman stared up from her seat behind the cover of the tea table. She held in her hand a pot of boiling tea, which trembled in her arthritic hand to the point where drops began to drip out from its spout.

Kagome's chocolate brown eyes flared as she gazed down the tip of her nose with dwindling hope. "Out of the question?" She was dressed in a peculiar garment that did not resemble anything like Hisoka or Kasumi had ever seen before. Kagome's attire included a single strip of fabric that somehow managed to keep her entire body covered from the chest down, but her arms were bare naked. Her clothing was only being held up with what looked like two pieces of cream colored string rope. If anything, it looked as if Kagome had just crawled out of bed in a provocative nightgown that made even the members of the tea house blush.

Kagome looked down at her flowing silk skirt and heaved a weighted sigh. "I don't think that you understand the urgency of the situation."

The elderly woman huffed and set down her flower covered tea top, hoping to keep the hot drops of the herbal thirst quenching substance from spilling out any farther. "Miho is eligible to pursue her freedom once her debt to me is paid. The only way for that to happen is for when she distributes her talents to many suitors who will then, in turn, shower her with gifts in hopes of attaining her mizuage. The highest bidder will then provide her with the money that is necessary to ensure her right to come and go as she pleases! Until then, she is not allowed to leave for any reason!"

Kagome clenched her jaw, attempting and failing at keeping her anger in check. "You would parade her around a flock of strange men, hoping that one would pay a great deal just to take her virginity? That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard!" She slammed her clenched fists down onto the table and sent the tea kettle flying into the air in her own direction. Kagome had to hop to the side in order to dodge it. It shattered into hundreds of shards of razor sharp porcelain points. "I will not stand by and watch this freak show go down!"

"Mind your tongue, Lady Kagome, or I will have you ejected from the property!"

"She is DYING,  _damn it!_ " Kagome shouted to the top of her voice, determined by a protective sisterly instinct that she hadn't experienced in decades. "Can you not see that she has been ill and suffering for the past few weeks? I have stayed so long as to keep an eye on the one woman here who has shown me great respect and dignity. I have been her physician, not caring that I have not been paid to do so because it is not in my nature to demand it! I have saved you the hassle of paying a village doctor to come out here and attend to her, and yet you ignore the warnings that I am giving you that she is severely ill and in need of more medical attention. Without that attention, she will most surely die!"

Hisoka ignored her. "Out of the question! She will remain here until I see fit to dismiss her from my house!"

"She is not your property!"

"I own her very life, and you shall do well to remember that!"

Kagome refused. "You must have misunderstood my meaning behind 'Miho is dying' and I need to transfer her to my lodgings in the mountains to ensure that she does not succumb to the illness that is eating her alive! I did not ask you to release her into my custody for treatment. I came here to inform you that I have already taken custody of her and that your arguments are considered invalid to a priestess who can end your very life with the power that I harbor lurking beneath my fingertips."

Hisoka jumped to her feet and struggled to balance herself, all the while sputtering in angry, dirty obscenities that made Kagome's jaw drop in disbelief. "There is no evidence to support your claims!"

"About what?" Kagome stood her ground in a deadly calm that froze the old woman in her throws of determination. "There is no evidence to support Miho's terminal illness?" She cocked one eyebrow and took a step forward without warning, taking the older woman by surprise. "Or there is no evidence to suggest that I can end your life without so much as laying a finger on you? Believe me when I say…I have no qualms about sacrificing your life to preserve hers."

Hisoka didn't speak. She just glared at the determined woman standing before her, not knowing how best to handle the situation. With minutes of a never ending death stare behind them, the old woman sneered, furthering Kagome's annoyance. "Prove it."

Kagome did not hesitate. "You would have me end your life this very moment in order to take Rin away from this place? You must really be  _that_ stupid!"

"Rin?" Hisoka stared. "You say her new name with such familiarity…as if you have known her for far longer than these past weeks." The old woman gazed past Kagome's left shoulder and caught Kasumi's stoned eyes. The younger woman had been standing in the shadows, silent as a breath of wind, determined to remain invisible from the eyes that were fixed upon her at that moment. "You have grown careless with Miho's visitors,  _daughter_. What say you of your blatant disregard for my rules?"

Kasumi dropped her black eyes to the ground near Kagome's naked feet and whispered. " _I had…reason to believe that she was destined…for a greater purpose in life, mother."_

"Greater purpose…I see." The old woman closed her eyes and somehow managed to travel across the room in less than three seconds, or so it seemed to Kagome. Hisoka appeared before Kasumi, back stiff as a board and looming despite her tiny stature against a woman who was at least a good foot taller. "Her  _purpose_  is to benefit this house…just as yours was not long ago. I want all of these people gone by the end of the hour, do you hear me? Or else I will find an even better purpose for you, cleaning rooms for a  _year!_ " At the word 'year', Kasumi's head snapped sideways as a loud  _crack_  echoed in the room. The  _crack_  was the sound of Hisoka's back hand making contact with Kasumi's cheek.

Kagome's feet left the floor. She had somehow managed to fly across the room mere seconds before the closed door separating the three women from the hallway blew off its hinges, taking Kasumi and Hisoka with it.

Kagome froze just in time to catch a glimpse of honey colored eyes and auburn hair. "It is bad enough that women in this day in age must endure this type of behavior from poorly trained men with low self esteem. We do not need it to be displayed by our own sex to demonstrate one's endless drive for power." Ura stood tall and very lovely in a modest dress, provided by her sister in law, that resembled that of a waterfall in its deep ocean blue and ivory silks. Her scars seemed to evaporate beneath a light tone of powder. But her lovely appearance did not disguise her anger toward an old woman who had found herself stumbling to stand up from a new pile of rubble that used to be a very sturdy door.

"Ura, that was…unexpected." Kagome blinked through her struggle to contain her disbelief. "But it was also very much welcomed."

Ura, though clearly still peeved, glanced sideways at Kagome and grinned slyly. "Demon or not, I cannot stand idly by while a woman is being struck by someone she should trust. _You!"_  Ura snapped in Kasumi's direction.

The dark headed female, who was still reeling from the sudden impact with the floor and clutching her vibrating skull, looked up and blinked. "Lady Kagome, the room is moving at an alarming rate!"

Kagome took off for the struggling woman while Ura glared at the gray haired old woman. "Hisoka, is it?"

The old woman snarled. "I have seen you lurking in the shadows at night, demon! You have no business here!"

Ura grinned wickedly, while her eyes blazed with uncontained rage. "I could not help overhearing your objections to the Lady Miho's departure from your care." She stepped forward, feet barely touching the floor as if she were floating on a cloud. "Though you do not deserve this, I am giving you payment for her freedom." Ura produced a black velvet pouch from behind her back and threw it at the old woman, who managed to fail at catching it. The bag, almost as big as a sack of fresh, harvested rice, hit the floor and scattered some of its contents at Hisoka's feet. "Gems…and precious metals worth more than the price of this entire village, in exchange for Miho's freedom from your barbaric home…as well as your _daughter's_  freedom. I understand that even though she is not yours by blood, Kasumi is indeed recognized by the rest of this village as your heir. What say you, foul beast of a human being?"

Every woman, aside from Ura, stared down at the array of uncut crystals, precious gems, and gold and silver bars. It was Hisoka, however, that appeared to want to dive head first at them. " _All of this…"_  she began. "… _for two women that you do not even know…why?"_

Ura did not blink, nor remove her gaze from the face of the woman that held her deep displeasure. "I have seen first-hand what greed in human beings brings about. You are consumed by it, disregarding the well being of every woman who has come to find themselves willing or unwilling to work for you rather than with you. These trinkets are worthless to me, but they are not a gift. This is strictly a contract, guaranteeing that once these women and I leave, you will never seek to contact us, or Miho again. Do you understand?"

Hisoka nodded without taking her eyes off of her rainbow treasure trove.

Ura closed her eyes and sighed before she turned on the spot and ventured into the deserted hallway.

Kagome blinked stupidly for a minute while she watched the back of Ura's head disappeared behind the corner. "Well… _that_  escalated quickly…" She spoke aloud to no one in particular before she returned her attention on a still dazed Kasumi. "I think that you might have a concussion, Kasumi."

"What is a con… _whoa_!" Kasumi was quickly brought to her feet and swayed until Kagome grabbed hold of her shoulders.

"It makes you dizzy and gives you one hell of a head ache. Come on, let's get out of here before Hisoka snaps out of her trance."


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**_Chapter Nineteen_ **

 

Kasumi stared blankly at Kagome for the longest time. So long, in fact, that Kagome was beginning to assume that she was in a trance.

The two women, along with Ura who was currently sitting quietly in the far corner of Miho’s bedroom, had been discussing Miho’s nearly impossible circumstances. Kagome had just concluded with her long overdue explanation as to why Miho was more special than Kasumi was first lead to believe, when the woman’s expression became vacant. “I know that this is a little hard to take in, but you _have_ to understand that Rin has been resurrected in the place of Miho, but Miho has not entirely disappeared.”

Kasumi’s only response consisted of an exasperated huff and the dropping of her jaw just a few centimeters closer to the floor.

Kagome turned away from the stunned woman to glance at Ura, who only shrugged. “There are two souls inside of Miho’s body, Kasumi. They will both die if we don’t get one of them out!”

“Yes…but which one?” Was all Kasumi could manage as she regained her composure.

“That would be entirely up to Miho and Rin…” Ura’s voice carried a sweet melody across the room.

“Miho could _die_ …”

Kagome reached out to grab Kasumi by the arm to gain her attention. In her softest voice, used mostly to sooth her sons fears of the dark of the forest on special occasions, she whispered, “ _Both of them could die…_ ”

Kasumi shuddered violently. “She…Miho is like my sister! She has to live! Her life hasn’t even started yet!” She buried her face in her hands and groaned. “Does she even _know_ about this? Do _they_ even know about this?”

Kagome assumed that Kasumi meant Miho and Rin, and she nodded while Ura chimed in again. “My brother Sesshomaru has gone in search of them now. Neither Rin or Miho are aware of this cruel twist of fate…and it is best that they don’t until we can get them back to where Rin’s original body has been stored.”

“How did you manage to preserve a body for over sixty years without it turning to dust?”

For the first time all day, Kagome smiled as Kasumi lifted her face out of her hands. “Rin was murdered by a dagger in her abdomen not long after she became the mate and wife of my husband’s half brother, the demon lord, Sesshomaru. She was… _pregnant_ at the time, so in a sense, she and their child were murdered. I was getting ready for her funeral, or _cremation_ , if you want to call it that, when I was secretly approached by Sesshomaru’s vassal, Jaken.” Kagome suppressed a giggle that had been long ignored, which confused Kasumi to a point where her puffy eyes widened with surprised horror. Kagome continued before Kasumi could just to the wrong conclusion about her senses. “Pardon me for my inappropriate laugh. I was asked to embalm Rin’s body just shortly before her body was supposed to be burned. Sesshomaru had realized that if her body were cremated, it would be possible to resurrect her using her charred bones and graveyard soil in a way that might resemble what I had gone through with Priestess Kikyo. She would return to her human form, but she would be nothing but an empty shell…hollow and driven by her feelings that she had experience at her death.”

“There are two women occupying one body. How do you explain that to them right before you kill one of them, or both?” Kasumi’s anger could only be heard, not seen as she buried her face back into her hands.

“There is very little time left for Miho’s body. The only reason Miho didn’t die sooner was because Rin had been dormant for all of Miho’s life, mostly unaware that Rin even existed. Now that Rin has been resurrected and has taken over Miho’s body, that body cannot support them both. Miho is still deeply attached to herself. She is in no way gone, just hidden within her own mind while Rin has taken over. If they knew what was happening, it would undoubtedly kill them faster.”

Ura stood and made her way across the room. “They cannot know, until it is necessary, that they might die.”

“Kasumi, you have been set free from this place…meaning you can come with us and look after Miho if she were to ever wake up in Rin’s place. You can explain what is going on, though not in full detail, about traveling. I have sent my two sons on ahead with our oldest family friend, Miroku, to find the quickest and safest path from here to Sesshomaru’s home in the western mountains. All that is left for us to do right now is to gather Miho’s belongings, pack them into a carriage, and leave this place. Miho will never have to set eyes on this place again, and neither will you if you wish it.”

Kasumi’s shoulders lifted and dropped as a heavy sigh filled the room. She lifted her face from her hands and looked up at Kagome, then glanced sideways at Ura. Both women stared, cautious as to what she might have to say. Kasumi sighed again, and then looked down at the floor that rested comfortably beneath their feet. “I will not abandon my sister…I’ll go…”

Kagome smiled kindly. “Good.” She left Kasumi’s side and walked over to face her sister in law. “Have you found a carriage, Ura?”

Ura nodded. “Inuyasha found one. He just brought now. It’s waiting out front for us now.”

“Good, let’s start packing.”

( ** _Outside the house_** )

 

“I…I’m free?” Miho’s brain understood it, but Rin was the only one capable of responding to such an astounding declaration. Her knees buckled beneath her weight and she expelled a long breath of air upon impact with the ground. “I mean, I _knew_ I would be eventually, but I share the mind that belongs to this body. From the memories that I have gathered, gaining freedom for Miho is highly unlikely given her current situation.”

            Sesshomaru, who had just located the foreign vessel which contained the soul of his mate, stood tall against a background of the neighboring forest of the Geisha house, eyeing Miho with a look of indifference. He knew very well of Miho’s situation, as well as Rin’s, but he didn’t give a damn about anything except preventing Rin’s looming death, which taunted his very thoughts to the brink of his sanity. It was a wonder how he could remain calm in such unfortunate circumstances. “Ura has gained remarkable skills in the art of manipulation.” He stepped forward with such grace that Rin had to assume that he was floating above the earth to reach her. His long, slender fingers grazed the underside of her chin, forcing her face upward so that their eyes locked. “I have been informed that your things are being gathered and stored on a carriage as we speak. We leave at your discretion, though I strongly urge that you encourage Miho to trust me now, as well as my siblings and their friends and family. Without her trust, both your safety and hers cannot be guaranteed, and I will not risk losing you based on her stubborn pride.”

            Rin felt the corners of Miho’s mouth upturn. _‘Miho, I think you and I both know what he is talking about. You cannot take control of us and attempt to defend your body with me here. Demon slayer or not, it is too dangerous for us to engage in a fight if one should occur. Please…for both of us, stay calm…trust them.’_ Rin knew that Miho had heard her clearly, and she prayed that there would be a reply.

            Quietly, Miho’s soft voice responded after a few seconds. ‘ _Free…I am free from the cage in which I was brought to, but I am still a prisoner…I am still a prisoner, but now in the cage of my own mind. Why are you doing this to me, Rin? What have I done to deserve this existence?’_

Rin closed Miho’s eyes and sought out Miho’s image in the blackness of her mind. _‘I never would have allowed my soul to inhabit your body if I had been given the choice, Miho. You must understand…I am also a prisoner. I am in a foreign body with no idea of how to escape it, but this journey will help us both is freeing ourselves. Please…trust them…trust me…I will not go with them without your approval because this is not my body. It is yours and only you have a say in what happens to us.’_

Miho’s face appeared before Rin inside of her mind. Finally, both women were given the opportunity to gaze upon each other. Miho was not thrilled. _‘You say it is my body to control and yet I do not have control of it. You do, Rin.’_

Rin nodded. _‘I don’t know how to give you back control…this has never happened to me before.’_

_‘Why did you allow that demon to mark me as his mate? I know that that is what has happened.’_

Rin felt Miho’s face redden. _‘I am not entirely sure…but it may have been a heat of the moment, perhaps. Or he might have wanted to give you an immortal life, hoping that it will guarantee that I will not slip away from him again.’_

_‘I suppose I cannot blame him for wanting to protect you…but he did do so without my consent.’_

Rin opened Miho’s eyes and found Sesshomaru’s honey gold orbs staring back at her. ‘ _I take full responsibility for that, Miho. I allowed it to happen without thinking what it might do to you. I will not allow anything like that to happen again. But please consent to trust us, me and my friends…my family? This is no doubt the opposite of what you had envisioned your future to be like, but it is the only option that we both have at the moment. Trust us?’_

It took over a full minute for Rin to gain a response from the darkest recesses of Miho’s mind. _‘What other choice do I have but to give you my full trust? I think that…if I were able to access my own limbs, I would follow them to wherever they are going despite your encouragement. I have nowhere else to go…you, and they, have my trust.’_

Rin felt Miho’s mouth smile with her happiness. She focused her full attention on Sesshomaru and nodded toward him. “My Lord, we have her trust. Where are Kagome and Ura?”

            Though Sesshomaru did not return the smile, his relief danced within his golden eyes. “Convincing Miho’s _sister_ to join them. From what I understand, the human Kasumi will be joining us to keep an eye on Miho’s body. All three women are gathering Miho and Kasumi’s belongings.”

            “I do not doubt it, my Lord.” Rin righted herself onto Miho’s feet. “Shall we join them now?”

            Sesshomaru never let Miho’s hand go. Instead of releasing it, he used it to bring the woman closer so that he could keep Miho’s deep brown eyes locked with his. “We will not be joining them, Rin. We are leaving… _now!”_ Before Rin or Miho could fully register what Sesshomaru had spoken, both women felt Miho’s heart jolt as her feet instantly felt the ground disappear beneath her feet.

            Before both women knew it, they were flying above the treetops, leaving the sight of Miho’s former prison fading in the distance, safe within the arms Lord Sesshomaru.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**_Chapter Twenty_ **

She noted the obvious breeze against her frozen cheeks. The night was not kind to their travels, but Rin was content despite her discomfort. Being carried by the man she had loved since that fateful day in which she had spotted Sesshomaru wounded in a crowd of her village’s trees when she had been a mere child in her first body, made her feel at peace once again, but not so much for Miho. Rin could sense the discomfort of Miho’s soul stirring within the confines of the foreign heart beating steadily within her chest. Although Rin was very much comfortable with being in the protective arms of her mate, she knew for a fact that Miho wanted nothing to do with him, which left Rin feeling detached.

            Yes…she could touch him and feel the heat of his skin beneath her hands and understand that it was him that she was feeling…but the hands in which she was using to feel him were not hers. It felt so wrong to be so close to Sesshomaru without using her own skin to come in contact with his. It made her aware of just how jealous she was that Miho’s hands were the ones touching him, and not her own. She only had control of what those hands could do, but she refused to do more than stroke his cheek. It even pained her to know that whenever he gazed into her eyes, they were not truly her eyes he was seeing. _Had my body not been taken from my own control, than I would not have allowed him to touch me so intimately…regardless of your connection with him._ Rin bowed her head in understanding as Miho’s voice echoed in her brain from the darkness.   

Rin closed her eyes to shield them from the sting of the frigid night air. The seasons were in the midst of changing, making their two day journey a bit more difficult. _I have restrained myself only for your sake, Miho. Please understand…even though for me it has been the blink of an eye in the passage of time, my Lord Sesshomaru has suffered greatly since I had been murdered. Surely you have seen this in his eyes?_

Miho took a few moments to respond. _Now that you have been awakened, Rin, I have access to every connection that my body has made with you. I have witnessed your memories and studied your bloodied childhood while you control every aspect of my being. I have seen the pain that you have suffered…and I have seen the pain that lurks within Sesshomaru’s eyes. Your death must have shaken him to his very core because he has simply refused to let my body down, even for a second since we left my old home. Your love, and his, is so powerful and so prominent that it scares me. I have never encountered such strong feelings about a man before and it is very disconcerting._ There was a long pause before Rin heard Miho continue. _Your love for each other was so indisputable that…a child had been conceived from your union._

Although it was not her body, Rin cried aloud as an unmistakable stab of pain tore an imaginary hole into Miho’s abdomen. The pain was so familiar that she automatically assumed that she was about to perish once again from the same wound that had killed her the last time.

Sesshomaru, who had been carrying her in his arms while they flew through the night sky, charged for the earth when Rin’s cry cut into his concentration. Once on the ground, he crouched and laid the scrunched up woman onto a cleared dirt path and examined her closely. “ _What is it? What’s wrong, Rin?_ ”

She heard his voice through the pain, but she refused to unclench her jaw for fear that she might scream. The stabbing sensation within her stomach ripped through her, making its way throughout Miho’s entire body until she experience the ominous cold sweat and burning fever of illness. _What’s…happening to me?_ “OH!” Another stab raked through her stomach, tearing an imaginary hole into her which mirrored her murder wound. This time, along with the agony of it, bile rose from the pit of her stomach and into the back of her throat. With no effort whatsoever, Rin leaped from Sesshomaru’s space and wretched up what felt and tasted like everything she had eaten and drunk in the past week behind the protection of a well placed shrubbery just out of Sesshomaru’s eyesight.

“ _RIN!”_ Sesshomaru stared after her, overtaken by momentary horror. _That body…is beginning to reject their souls! They were doing so well before now…what changed?_

While the contents of Miho’s stomach splattered onto the frozen earth, Rin struggled to overcome the overwhelming agony that took control of the lower half of Miho’s body. For one single span of sixty seconds, rolling waves of raw and excruciating pain tore her insides to shreds until Rin was sure that death had come calling to drag her soul back to the depths of the underworld…and just as quickly as the pain had started, it was gone, leaving Rin in the bouts of several dry heaves before she gathered her wits. Although her fever was still present, the pain and nausea had dissipated.

Rin held onto the fragile limbs of the unfortunate bush that had sustained the most damage from her sudden attack. Her chest and throat burned as if she had swallowed acid while she clung to one branch, appearing shock white and clammy, and her head throbbed from being denied oxygen during her sick episode. Gasping for breath, she looked over her shoulder and caught sight of a started demon lord. Sesshomaru was watching her as if she might explode at any second. “ _I-I’m…so sorry, Lord Sesshomaru!”_ It was an even greater struggle to reclaim control over Miho’s vocal cords after the sudden attack of illness than it was to turn around and stumble back over to her beautiful mate. “ _I didn’t mean t-to get sick like that…I don’t know what came over me…”_ She felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment beneath the heat of the fever that was obviously refusing to go away.

Before she even made it to within a foot of him, her mind began to swirl. Seconds later, she collapsed, falling forward into the soft pillow of Sesshomaru’s fur. The great demon lord wrapped her in a secure embrace and placed his cool hand against Miho’s heated flesh. “ _Rin…can you still hear me?”_

Rin forced Miho’s head to nod, but only slightly. She found her voice, though it was weak and very frail. “ _Something…is…”_ She scrunched up her sheet white face. “ _…happening to me, my Lord…”_

_“Tell me what happened, Rin?”_ Sesshomaru ignored the fact that it was Miho’s skin that he was touching tenderly. Both women had obviously suffered from this sudden malady and all he could do was calm them both down enough to tell him.

She didn’t think it was possible, but Rin was certain that Miho’s body doubled in temperature from remembering what had happened before she vomited. _Oh, Lord Sesshomaru… “Miho was recalling some of my memories of us…and of the brief period of time in which I had been…carrying our…child…”_ The guilt of that memory hurt worse than the recollection of the dagger that had plunged into her womb.

            The deafening silence that followed her confession made her ears want to explode. Weakly, Rin opened her foreign eyelids and tilted her head up. She had not expected Sesshomaru to be returning her gaze, but he was.

            Sesshomaru had avoided this subject for decades for fear that the pain of it might suck the very life out of him. He knew that his anger was expected and than his sadness was normal despite being a demon, but now that Rin was once again with him, he was petrified to discuss what could have been, what might have been had she not have died by the hands of Sakuya. It took everything inside of him to reign in his emotions and keep his eyes vacant. The last thing he desired was to cause Rin more agony than what she was experiencing now. “We need not talk of this now, Rin. You need rest.” He leaned forward and readjusted her in his arms until her legs were hooked securely and he picked her up from the ground. It startled him of just how much weight Miho’s body had lost in those terrifying minutes.

            Scared that she might fall, Rin draped one of her arms around his neck and hung on to him until they were up in the air once again. She knew he was right and that she needed to rest after being sick, but for some reason, she felt as if Sesshomaru had deliberately avoided the topic of their deceased child. “ _Why did you not tell me that I was pregnant before you left me that morning?”_ It was a question she had never thought to ask, mainly because she didn’t have the time to think of it before she had bled to death, but after her awakening in the last few weeks, she finally had the opportunity to think on it.

            Sesshomaru took an agonizingly long period of time to answer her, though he never looked down when he did so. “Because I wanted to tell you at a time when I did not have to leave you so suddenly.” His voice clearly held the sadness that Rin was not so sure that he possessed. It filled her heart with the same emotion, along with a slight spark of elation that he had really wanted to celebrate it. “I…also wanted time to…understand what it meant to me…what _you_ meant to me, and our… _child_.”

            Rin’s heart sank. “D-did you n-not want to have a child, Lord Sesshomaru?” She bowed her head to hide her disappointment. _“Or were you disappointed because our child would have been born a half demon?”_

            “Don’t you _ever_ think that!” Sesshomaru didn’t hesitate, which caught her off guard. For the first time since they had taken off into the air to continue their journey, he looked down and forced one of his clawed hands to hook beneath her chin and bring her watery eyes up to face his. Despite knowing it was Miho’s eyes he was seeing, he saw Rin’s light shining brightly behind them, and it made him wish that he could somehow magically bring Rin back into her original state so that he might hold her for real. “I never once thought, in the short span of time that I was aware of our child’s existence, that I would despise any children that we might have had together just because you were human! And I _never_ will!”

            Rin studied the fire brimming fiercely within his molten gold eyes. Sesshomaru was displaying nothing but complete sincerity, and she wanted nothing more than to live the rest of her existence with him just as they were now, in this moment…but given her current circumstances, that was unlikely. “ _You are acting as if we might have another opportunity to have a child.”_

            Sesshomaru offered her a rare smile, though this one didn’t reach his eyes. “For right now, all I want is to escape reality with you and never come back. But given that it is not possible, then we need to continue on until we reach our home.”

            _“You are hiding something from me, Lord Sesshomaru.”_

Sesshomaru said nothing and looked away from her to keep his eye on their destination.

            Rin studied the hard lines on his face. “I…I’m going to die again…aren’t I?” Sesshomaru remained silent, confirming what she had already known from the beginning of her awakening. “ _Why are you taking me back home, then? Did you think that it would comfort me, seeing the place where I had been murdered last?”_

Sesshomaru swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. The emotions that Rin was forcing out him made him uncomfortable, maybe even annoyed. “The room in which you had died had been destroyed not long after. Jaken had the entire side of the property rebuilt so that no one would have to be reminded of the pain of losing you.” He paused and looked down at Rin’s stunned face. “That is not entirely true…Jaken had that side rebuilt so that… _I would not have to be reminded of the pain…_ but it didn’t matter. No matter where I had gone in our home, I remembered you, Rin.”

            Rin felt the heated tears fall from Miho’s eyes and down her cheeks. _“My lord…why are you not denying that I am going to die again?”_

Sesshomaru finally provided an answer, though it didn’t help ease her suffering. _“Because…I don’t know what will happen to you in this body.”_ He heaved a heavy sigh. _“Your body was never burned, Rin.”_

Stunned, Rin could only stare at Sesshomaru with her lower jaw hanging loose.

            “ _I had your body preserved in herbal oils and spices so that it would not wither away. Rin, your body was healed of the wounds that you had received from Sakuya. As of right now, it is still preserved in a bath at our home, waiting for you to be returned to it.”_

Rin blinked several times while trying to process this new information. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

            Sesshomaru swallowed another lump that had formed in his throat, devastated that he might hurt her with what he had to say next. “Because…you _are_ dying, Rin. Miho…her body is fighting to contain you both. The weight of your soul and hers in this vessel is killing you both as we speak. My only chance at saving you both is to transfer your soul back into your own body, Rin.”

            With her response, Sesshomaru heard the struggle in Miho’s voice. “ _You knew this was going to happen to me?”_

“I had no idea that you would inhabit a body that held another soul along with your own. I had asked Kaeda to preserve your body in the hopes that someday, I would find you again and that it would be possible to resurrect you into your previous form.”

            Rin knew the rest before it could be spoken. “Unless my soul is removed from Miho’s body and put back into my own, we will both die?”

            Sesshomaru bowed his head, indicating that it was true.

            Rin didn’t hear her speak in her mind, but she was fully aware that Miho knew exactly what was going on. _I…I’m so sorry, Miho...it’s all my fault…_


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

**_Chapter Twenty-One_ **

            _Our lives were bound by the same thread that connected to the existence of the Shikon jewel. We lived during the age where the half demon Naraku sought to destroy and conquer every aspect of this world, but he reached far beyond his understanding. In his relentless quest for dominance over us all, we destroyed him instead…or better still, you might be able to say he managed to destroy himself. Kagome was able to successfully dispose of the jewel by the use of a single wish that nearly tore her away from our world forever. It took her three long years to discover in her heart of what she truly wanted…and that was to return to this world and live alongside the man she had fallen in love at the age of fifteen. Without her presence in this world, I would probably never have found Sesshomaru wounded in the woods near my village when I was young._

_When I was alive the first time, I stayed by Lord Sesshomaru’s side, even when he went into battle. But I was not always allowed to accompany him. There were times where he knew that I could be hurt, or even killed if I sought to stay by his side. I had already died twice before the death of Naraku, but when it came to those last hours of his life, I was almost killed again. Lord Sesshomaru was later told by Lady Kaeda that I needed to live among humans before making the choice of which life I desired to pursue. Even though living with humans taught me a great deal about life, I knew in my heart from the very beginning that I wanted to stay by Sesshomaru’s side. I knew I loved him when we first met, but I didn’t know how deep that love was until he left me behind in the village of his brother, Inuyasha. For years, my desire for him remained dormant within my heart, believing that if he knew, I would be rejected and he would be disgusted and leave, never to return. I was wrong to believe that._

_Lord Sesshomaru’s feelings equaled my own, though he hid them well whenever others were present. But it didn’t take long for our friends and family to discover what was happening between us. He tried to deny it…and even got annoyed when Master Jaken began to notice Sesshomaru’s intentions for me and tried to point it out. I, on the other hand, was never positive of his feelings until I challenged him. I threatened to leave him and my new friends behind to return to Kaeda after I had attempted to mark him like he had marked me. He ended up destroying my bedroom wall just as I was about to walk away. Needless to say, our lives became intertwined and we endeavored to create a new life of our own, separate from the evil spirits of our past._

_I was later introduced to his new army as his mate and wife. I had never felt so happy and free of the burden of living as an ordinary human girl. Instead, I was living by Sesshomaru’s side as an equal almost. I never questioned his love, even though I knew of his hatred for humans. I have been credited as his reason for his tolerance of them, though some still find it difficult to believe that he has changed in the way of his thinking. If it is true that I am the cause of this wonderful change in him, than me dying with the knowledge of this is not so bad. I only wish that I had been able to give Lord Sesshomaru the son that Sakuya had murdered in his pursuit of my demise._

_Oh Miho…I am so sorry…for everything. I am to blame for all of this. I am the weak one and I should never have allowed myself to be reborn into this body with you, living like a parasite along with your soul. Our lives are coming to an end because of me and it is unfair to you. It was never my intention to bring you into darkness upon my death. If I were to be given the chance to change this fate, I would sacrifice my soul in order for yours to be spared. I will do that for you because I have already lived two lives before now. Sesshomaru knows that I could be reborn again someday, but you have not even been given the chance to live your first life. If we are to die, I will ask Lord Sesshomaru to revive you so that you might have a chance to live freely without the burden of my history eating you alive. It is possible for my soul to reawaken in your body, but it is my deepest wish that he allow me to be reborn again in another time so that your soul will be free to thrive._

Try as she might, Rin’s memories and declarations of her history and future did little to spark Miho’s attention in the space of their mind. Nothing worked, and it left the young woman aching and alone. Her heart, though it was not literally hers, clenched in fear. _Miho, please answer? At least let me know that you understand? Or maybe that you don’t?_ The heat built up behind dark brown eyes, forcing them to water and glisten beneath the fading comfort of star light.

            Dawn was fast approaching, giving the night a chance to sleep while the sun rose up to paint the land in its golden rays. In that moment, one twinkling spark of radiance caught her tear stricken gaze and with all of her might, she focused her energy and began to wish with everything that she possessed in her dying state. _Upon the beauty of your starlight, I wish to be heard and understood…Miho please…say something…anything…_

            Although it was nothing more than a childhood game that she and a few other children had participated in when she was in her early youth, for a moment, Rin decided that it couldn’t hurt to at least try…and it failed.

            The empty silence within the void of her thoughts filled her heart with sadness. Despite being in the arms of Lord Sesshomaru while whizzing through the early dawn in the direction of their homeland, Rin felt truly alone inside of herself. For the time being, it seemed that there was nothing that she could say to bring the grieving Miho any comfort in regards to their impending death. _I don’t know why, but it feels as though I am destined to die again…like no matter if we arrive in time to transfer myself back into my previous form, I am bound for death once more. Lord Sesshomaru, forgive me for thinking such dismal thoughts. Would you be terribly hurt if I were to forfeit my existence before the time comes? I could not bear to live knowing that I was the cause for Miho’s demise. What shall I do?_

Rin jerked violently within Sesshomaru’s grasp upon receiving an unexpected reply. _I WILL NOT ALLOW THAT!_

Sesshomaru charged toward a parting in the tree line and landed square in the center of it before he set the female down onto her feet. Rin was too busy clutching Miho’s skull to ease the pain of Miho’s sudden shout. It caused one of the worst headaches that either of them had ever experienced. _That was not necessary, Miho!_

Rin heard Sesshomaru question her, but she ignored him since Miho responded at the same time as he. _I needed time to think. I heard everything you had said, Rin. I just needed to process it all and then come up with a plan of my own._

While the pain in their skull subsided, Rin’s sucked in a deep cleansing breath. _You have a plan? What do you mean you have a plan?_

Miho took a few seconds to speak again. _I have gotten to know your family through your interactions with them over the past few weeks. I could not imaging the pain that they had to of endured upon your horrifying death. And it has come to my attention that they are still suffering, even now. Sesshomaru stands over us, frightened that this may be the last time that he may ever speak to you in this moment, though he does not show it in a way a normal human would. His heart, strong as it is, will shatter if he should ever have to suffer through losing you again…I have never known someone to feel that way for me. It does make me sad, but because I have never known or experienced such love from another, I am willing to sacrifice my soul in order for your survival because my own end will not cause such grief._

Upon hearing Miho’s plan, the tears began to streak down her face. Her throat tightened in anguish, and Rin had to bite her lip to keep from screaming her protests. _Your end will not cause anyone grief? Is that what you really think?_ Rin swallowed to loosen the knot that had formed within their throat. _You have a sister who loves you enough to have set you free from that vile cage of a Geisha house. Kasumi stood up for you, knowing full well that she would be beaten for doing so, just to cause enough of a distraction so that Sesshomaru’s sister could come along and release you both from captivity! You shared your body with me, despite not having a choice, and then accepted my fate as your own so that there might be a slim chance that I could be returned to my family. After everything that has transpired between us, our fates having been combined, you assume that there is no one out there to grieve over your passing? If I were to survive and you were not, I would grieve over you, Miho…Kasumi would grieve…Your life, your soul means something to me. I will keep fighting for us if I have to, until we are either parted with our lives intact, or separated by the demanding force that is the nature of the underworld._

Miho remained silent. Rin continued. _Either we both live, or I die. I will not accept anything less._

A weak voice echoed within the blackened void of their thoughts. _I would never forgive you, if you sacrificed yourself for me._

Rin sighed. _I know…_

            Moments later, without having said one word, Sesshomaru and Rin were in the air once more aiming for their final destination which was still more than a day’s journey from their current location. It wasn’t until after the sun had risen over the horizon that Rin finally eased Sesshomaru’s fears. “Lord Sesshomaru, I had a bit of a dizzy spell that caused a sudden excruciating headache. I didn’t mean to upset you, if that it was I did.”

            Sesshomaru glanced down into Miho’s eyes and saw Rin’s soul shining through them. Her innocence was still visible, and it filled his heart with a feeling of happiness that he was never capable of displaying. Without smiling, he nodded. “You are still feverish, Rin. I am afraid that this journey is killing you faster, am I correct?”

            In her heart, she knew he was right, but she refused to reveal her fading strength. “Do not worry, my Lord. We will be just fine.” She smiled weakly, trying hard not to let her pain show.

            Sesshomaru was not fooled in the slightest. Miho’s scent was changing. She was no doubt sickly. Her blood was weak with an impending doom, which made him slice through the air at double the speed. Passersby from the villages below could spot their presence in the air like a falling star left over from the fading night. “ _Do not be so worried, Lord Sesshomaru. Rin only seeks to ease your troubled heart.”_

            Startled, Sesshomaru glanced back down into Miho’s eyes, seeking Rin’s light glowing within them, but found only the soul of the young Maiko staring back. “Where is Rin?” Was all he could say through his surprise.

            Miho, through salty tears and a thickening voice, whispered words that led to Sesshomaru’s worst nightmares. “ _Her soul is too weak to keep mine dormant, Sesshomaru…she is dying.”_


	22. Chapter 22

**_Chapter Twenty-Two_ **

She ran…Rin's feet carried her until she was convinced that there was no opening in the thickness of the forest. But despite this, she kept on. The trees parted to make her journey easier, though nothing came from their efforts. There was no light to ease her fears, but she had no idea why she was afraid, or what she was afraid of. All that was visible in her weary eyes was blackness which clouded her judgments just a little more with each passing mile. _Keep going, Rin. Just keep going._

The memories flooded her thoughts like tidal waves over the course of several minutes. She witnessed death at every stage of her passing life, assisted in bringing new life into a world that seemed doomed to fall at the hands of ruthless creatures that longed for power, and died more times herself than was humanly possible. Even now, Rin knew that her path was leading her to ruin. She felt it deep within her bones. The outside world, though she couldn't see it now, could be sensed and it was saturated with a dismal atmosphere. Those surrounding her no doubt understood what was happening and knew without a shadow of a doubt that there was nothing that they could do to heal her broken soul.

Rin suffered in silence. There was no sound to be heard that could free her from its deafening presence. Even her rapid breathing was rendered mute to her senses and it nearly drove her to hysterics. What could she do? Stop moving and succumb to the blackness? Scream until her throat bled and then scream some more? There was no one around to hear it, let alone be willing to help her escape it. Even if she tried, there was no way to access the outside world without help. She was physically overcome by another soul which had managed to take her down. _Is there where Miho came to when I was in control? Is this what happens when the soul is too weak to fight back?_

The tears were virtually nonexistent, but the thought was there. She wanted to cry, but the purgatory of her mind made any type of human emotion incapable of being displayed except within the privacy of her thoughts. _I suppose I deserve this. I kept Miho's soul captive with my own and I had no idea that this was the place that I was keeping it. I was never here before now. I have never seen this place before, and yet everything appears familiar…much like I have always been here, but not. Perhaps this place was my own creation and that is why I recognize it._ Rin shook her head while she ran. _I deserve this…_

Dodging more trees, and ran some more until the weight of her soul turned her legs into lead. Determined, she slowed down, but grabbed onto nearby tree limbs to drag herself father. _What am I looking for? Help? Assistance? There is nowhere for me to go. There is no one here who can help me, so why keep going? If I keep going, will I die? If I die, then maybe Miho will be free to live without the weight of my soul pressing down on hers. I could save her if I just allow myself to fade…I could die…_

Rin stopped moving and held onto a nearby tree, clinging to it with her fingernails. The burden of her own soul seemed determined to drag her down. _I'm so sorry, Lord Sesshomaru…I love you but I can't take a life to save my own. I have to die…_

She sealed her eyes to defend them from the dark that seemed to be enveloping the area around her. _I have to die…_

Meanwhile, in the comfort of reality, Miho blinked rapidly through her own tears to adjust to the harsh light of the day. "How did I get here?"

Sesshomaru, who had already set her down, stepped back and watched her closely. "Yes, how did you get here?"

Miho rubbed her forehead to de-cloud her thoughts, secretly rejoicing that she had the control over herself enough to do that. It had been ages it seemed since she had any sort of control whatsoever, and she planned to use that to her advantage until she would slip into the darkness again. "I don't think you want to know how I managed to get back, Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru's golden gaze flared while he took a predatory step forward. " _You will tell me, now!_ " He extended his claws and harnessed his poison, bringing the bright violet toxin into sight by his fingertips.

Miho's tear stained eyes held no sign of fear. At this point, she didn't care what he was or what he could do. If there was a chance that Rin still remained dormant within her, Sesshomaru wouldn't _dare_ jeopardize her safety just to get information out of her. Whether he liked it or not, Miho held all of the control and she wasn't going to let him intimidate her into submission. She was a trained demon hunter and she knew how to utilize her skills despite not having any of her weapons. "Or what? You'll growl at me?" She sucked in a much welcomed breath of fresh air and drank in the heat of the sun. Miho had never really appreciated the little things in life until recently when she began to realize that at any moment, she could be dead.

" _Where is she?"_ Sesshomaru did indeed growl, which cause Miho to snort in amusement.

"Calm down, will you?" Although that was easier said than done since she was also harboring a little bit a hidden panic. Rin wasn't responding to her questions. It was almost as if she had disappeared completely from Miho's subconscious, but the burden of two souls was still evident. "I don't know how I managed to take back control of my body, but it has something to do with Rin's will." She closed her eyes and concentrated as hard as she could, but there was little sign of Rin. "I can't get a response from her. She won't answer me, but I know she is there."

"How do you know that?" Sesshomaru withdrew the threat of his claws and glared at Miho as if it was all her fault.

"I just know, I don't know why!" Miho shook her head. "I can _sense_ that she is still there…but barely." She looked up at Sesshomaru with glistening dark brown puppy dog eyes. It was clear that she was becoming increasingly upset, but her demon hunter training made it easier to restrain the urge to bust out crying. "You said that Rin's original body had been preserved to take back her soul if the opportunity presented itself within a certain amount of time."

Sesshomaru only stared, but his eyes spoke clearly. _Yes._

Miho continued. "Well then…let's go!" Without another word, Miho stalked past him and headed for the trees.

Sesshomaru landed in front of her to block her path.

Miho went around him and kept walking. "Got a problem? I thought you wanted to save her life? Let's get to it, then!" She got as far as a yard when her feet left the ground. "AH! Hey!"

Sesshomaru wrapped her tightly in his arms darted toward the sky. "We'll get there faster if I fly."

Miho didn't struggle but she wasn't thrilled to be so close to him. Yeah, he was attractive, but he was a _demon_. She was still a little on edge by the fact that this guy could kill her with a look if he wanted, but she also knew that he couldn't hurt her without harming the woman that he loved. _This demon is very strange. He acts as though he hates all humans…and yet he cradles my body as if it would break with a single touch. He is determined to preserve Rin's soul and bring her back to life. Such a strange demon…_

_Miho? Is that you?_

A sharp gasp and a sudden onset of pain in her skull forced Miho to clutch at her head to control the ache. This did not escape Sesshomaru's notice. "What's wrong?"

Miho blinked rapidly, hoping that what she heard wasn't just her own mind playing tricks on her. _Rin?_

Silence. And then… _Yes! It's me!_

"Tell me what's wrong!" Sesshomaru snarled through the harsh cries of the wind blowing in their faces.

_Don't tell him, Miho. I don't want him to know._

Miho's eyes widened. Luckily, Sesshomaru couldn't see her face. _You want me to make him suffer?_

Rin's voice was defiantly weaker. _No…he needs to focus. I can't hold on much longer, but he can still save you!_

Miho protested. _No! You need to keep fighting to stay with me? You die, I die. Understand?_

Rin also protested. _If I hold on long enough for Kagome to summon my soul from your body, then you will survive and I will fade. I do not have the strength anymore to come back to the world of the living._

Miho was on the verge of losing her mind. _Damn it!_ "I'm fine, Sesshomaru. I just have a bad headache from the sun exposure. It's been a long time since I've seen the light that I have to be careful. I'll just try and sleep for a while, alright?"

Sesshomaru said nothing, which usually meant 'do as you please' in his own silent language, so Miho took advantage. _How dare you? Rin, how could you allow this? Why would you give up so easily? He fought for you! He is torturing himself for you! Your friends are breaking their necks to ensure your survival, and for what? So that you can give up at the last second just to save my life?_

Back into Rin's mind, the world was still black as death. How she managed to make her voice heard through the thick blanket of impending doom was lost to her understanding, but she had succeeded. " _I want to live! I long for it, but not at the expense of another! Would you not feel the same if you had been in my position?"_ Rin had to shout until her throat burned, but she did it anyway. Her strength was fading.

_Don't be a martyr! You're right, I would feel the same as you. But guess what? I AM in the same position! You're not the only one dying. I can feel it! I can feel death looming within the shadows, waiting until I am weak enough so that it can come and take me away! We are both fighting to live! You can't sacrifice yourself like this. You want to save my life, than you have to live! I want to save your life, so I have to live! Do you see how this works?_

Rin released her grip on the tree that she had been holding on to and sank to her knees. Her hands hit the ground beneath her and she dug her nails into the blackened soil, churning the earth within her imagination with frail fingers. " _So no matter how much I wish it, I cannot die by my will alone? I have to suffer in this darkness for a while longer and then succumb to the reaper?"_ Her throat thickened with bitterness and resentment.

_You sound as if you welcome death, Rin. Is that it? Do you wish to die despite being so close to gaining your life? That is not fair to the people who love you, you know._

Rin wept dry tears. _"You would not understand my reasoning."_

_Try me._

Rin bowed her head and shuddered. _"Fear is mankind's most dangerous but necessary emotion. I am afraid of myself. I am afraid of living again when I have already died. I have been murdered by the hands of my allies, and slain by the arrogance of my adolescence…and sacrificed to prove that demons and humans are not able to coexist together in peace."_

_What are you talking about, Rin?_

Rin released the ground and wrapped herself in her own embrace as a biting wind swept through the forest of her prison. _"I was killed by a pack of wolves that were controlled by the allies of my friends, poisoned by the power of the underworld in my stupid childish desire to follow Lord Sesshomaru no matter where he dared venture, and murdered by a demon who was determined to prove that my newly conceived child was an abomination to the full blooded demon population. I am an enemy to myself just for being in love with a full blooded demon!"_

_You resent your love for Sesshomaru?_

Rin jerked her head from side to side. _"No! Living only hurts the people that I love. I am too weak to live by Lord Sesshomaru's side, but also too weak to keep myself from doing so! I will only cause him more pain, should I die again. There will no doubt be countless more demons AND humans out there just waiting to take me down. Inuyasha's mother was the same way, only she was saved once. Her destruction was caused by a man whose prejudice over demons masked his devotion and love for her!"_ Rin dug her claws into her arms to fend off the chill in the air. _"She gave birth to a half demon on the same night that Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father died. I would rather sacrifice my life now than give Sesshomaru the opportunity to die protecting me."_

It took some time for Miho to answer back. _Coward._

Rin blinked. " _What?"_

_You are a coward! If this is how you truly feel, then you are not deserving of Sesshomaru's love! Which as it is, is very difficult to earn given his dislike of humans. You are making this choice to protect him? How is that love? To love someone is to be honest. To love someone is to want to protect them no matter what! But you also have to LIVE in order for him to realize just how deep your devotion is! It is very possible that you can die again because of someone else who doesn't understand that love, but it is also possible that that will NOT happen! You will never know unless you allow yourself the chance to LIVE! No one else can make that decision for you. But while you wallow in your own self pity, remember this. You are a coward if this is your only reason to give up the fight. If you die…if you sacrifice your life and jeopardize mine just to make sure that Sesshomaru doesn't suffer the same fate as his father, as unlikely as it may seem, then I will tell him right now that we have the ability to communicate. I will tell him right now what exactly it is your planning and then he will know exactly just how selfish you really are._

Rin said nothing.

_You promise me right now that you will fight to stay alive! Do that, and I will stand by your side for the rest of my own life and fight to keep you safe. Do that, and I will protect your husband to the best of my abilities if he will let me, and I will endeavor to protect any child that you both bring into this world until my last day on earth. Promise me!_

Rin struggled to breathe through her sadness. Without even thinking about what it might mean, she nodded while she struggled to maintain her senses as the darkness surrounding her began to envelop her. " _Alright…I promise."_ She whispered as her mind became shrouded by deadly shadows.


	23. Chapter 23

**_Chapter Twenty-Three_ **

Miho fumed while she bathed.

Sesshomaru had been worried about her elevating body temperature and all but threw her into a passing lake on their way to his home. She had to cling to his fur in protest because she had never actually learned to swim and didn't really wish to learn in that moment while she felt so poorly.

_Stupid dog…_ She snarled inside of her mind while she drenched her hair with several handfuls of fresh water.

The day was bright and sunny but with storm clouds meticulously gathering in the distance. It would no doubt spark a vicious downpour later in the day, but Miho couldn't care less since the rain actually calmed her. Since Rin had gone quiet, she had a chance to clear her thoughts for a while, giving her brain time to register everything that had gone on while she herself had been subjected to the infinite darkness of purgatory. Rin's soul was connected to Miho's body like a parasite. Because of this, both women were likely to die in the unlikely event that Rin does not reach her original body in time.

Death didn't frighten Miho any more than Sesshomaru did. If anything, he pissed her off more often than not and she longed to take him on in a fight; no weapons included. It would be a glorious feeling taking down a full blooded demon that wielded a strength that outmatched all the demons in the world combined with just her bare hands. If she didn't have another soul to worry about, she probably might have done so already. But with Rin attached to her for the time being, Sesshomaru would never even think to fight.

Sighing, Miho pondered her current predicament. At the moment, she didn't feel anything except a cool light breeze and the heat from the waking sun. Any trace of illness had been eradicated with the welcoming chill of lake water and her fever had subsided, but she held a suspicion that it would soon return once they continued their journey. Again, death was not a fear that she possessed…but weakness was. She despised more than anything feeling like she couldn't do the things she used to be able to do because of her new situation. It was unfair, but she kept her opinions about the matter to herself, knowing that there was absolutely nothing that could fix the trap she had been born into. The only solution that made everyone happy was transference, while she herself accepted inevitable death no matter the outcome. Miho wished to live…but not at the expense of someone else. This was not her destiny. This was not the life she had dreamed of after leaving the cage of her previous employment. She would rather die that remain a prisoner inside of her own flesh, which is exactly what she was.

It felt like years to her since she had openly cried. Miho's tears slipped down her pale cheeks but refused to wipe them away. It was her right to do as she wished with her own body and no one could take that from her. Without her will, Rin's friends and family would lose the only connection that they had to her, which did nothing more to Miho than make her weep more. What right did those people have in forcibly keeping them alive? Rin said so herself that she had wanted to die, but it was Miho who had protested. Now it was the other way around almost. Miho didn't want to die, but didn't want to play host to another being and be a prisoner until others decided when the time was right to separate them.

Miho was sitting on a log next to the lake, having just finished cooling off when she shoved her fist through the water. There was no trace of sadness in her features. Instead, she was visibly seething while her tears streamed down her face, showing no signs of letting up. She must have spent a good five minutes ramming her fists into the crystal clear surface of the lake before she dove into it, not caring that she couldn't swim.

Miho relaxed her entire body and felt herself become one with the tide, floating as if suspended in midair. Feeling weightless was the most wonderful feeling in the world and it gave her a chance to clear her mind of her bitter thoughts for a few mute seconds. She was clad in the robes that Rin had chosen to wear beneath her outer kimono. It was almost paper thin and a striking shade of transparent crimson, which was perfect for the weather that day, but practically useless to bathe in. Miho wasn't about to get naked while an overprotective dog demon kept watch over the surrounded area for predators or bandits, but this particular robe did little to conceal her body while it was soaked. _So much for modesty._

The water's depth was limited to about eight feet where she ended up and she held her breath while she became suspended. Her now sheer robe floated around her like a delicate fog, painting a picture of a woman who cared very little about what was going on around her in her appearance of serenity. The image of her uncaring form stunned a water demon that had been minding his own business just a few feet away.

The demon was in the form of a human, but his arms and legs had olive shaded fins flecked with a rainbow of water crystals. His neck was flanked by the same external makeup as the rest of him, but his face and chest remained untouched, fare and lightly muscled. If Miho's eyes had been open, she would have drowned from the surprise of him but she continued to sort of float while she remained the object of study.

Water demon stared, overcome with curiosity but he didn't dare move closer. Instead, he situated himself on a boulder covered with algae and waited to see what the woman would do. He knew she wasn't dead because he could see the light of heat permeating the water that surrounded her which was emitted from her. It was amusing to have stumbled onto such a find, or rather, this woman kind of stumbled onto him because he rarely came in contact with humans. He didn't harbor a dislike for them per say, but he avoided them due to his abhorrence to the human war against his kind. Being attacked outside of his kingdom in the lake was normal because he was surrounded by human villages which housed people who detested the sight of not just him, but other demons who happened to get near them.

But this woman he was watching looked nothing like any female human he had ever seen. This woman was striking, and if he had been at the water's surface, she could have been considered breathtaking with her seemingly endless flow of raven hair and near perfect skin. Her lips held the only color on her face, which were a lovely shade of a fresh spring rose. For a moment, he was hypnotized by her as if she were a celestial goddess whom he had no business staring at.

Miho's anger subsided, but not entirely. Instead, a tiny spark remained embedded within her heart while she took in her reality. _Alright…I am a host to two souls. My own and Rin's. I do have the ability to end this. I have the right to and no one can stop me…not even that stupid dog demon! But I have a responsibility to myself. I am not the kind of person who can sacrifice myself to eradicate an issue. I am stronger than that. I so much more than what everyone around me sees! I have to fight to save myself…I have to fight to save Rin's life! I have a choice! I can either die or live…I choose to live and I choose to save her! Not because I have too…but because I_ want _too. That is what makes the difference in my situation. I am a human being who can only live one life, supposedly, and if I have the opportunity to protect someone, I need to take that opportunity and do what I must to ensure their survival as well as my own!_

Without realizing it, Miho exhaled…and then she began to realize the horrible mistake she had made.

Water demon turned his head to the side when he caught sight of an air bubble that escaped the human female's mouth. He didn't start to worry until he watched her shift from an ethereal goddess suspended in his crystal waters to a struggling human whose eyes popped open and panic ensued in her face. He sat frozen on the spot when her coal black eyes located him. For a moment, he was sure he was looking at an angel. Her beauty was evident, but even more so when he witnessed surprise taking over her face, which was when he figured out that she was unable to swim back up to the surface. Without thinking, he shot up from his seat on the boulder and aimed for her waist. Taking her in his arms, he bolted for the surface and broke free from it, flying in the air like a bird and landed just on the edge of his lake.

Miho had no idea what had just happened. One minute she was panicking because she couldn't swim back up for air, and the next she was gazing at a man sitting on a rock underwater who had managed to get to her in less than a second and drove her to the coastline. Her lungs didn't even have time to protest her stupid mistake, so gasping for air didn't happen after that. She just spit out the water that she had managed to take with her and stared up, open mouthed at the person who had saved her.

Water demon stared right back, and then laughed out loud. "May I ask what you were doing in my lake?"

Miho was astounded. Yet another demon had managed to sneak into her life without her realizing it, but instead of having the urge to run him through with her sword or dagger, both of which she did not have at the moment, she continued to gaze at him stupidly.

He was heartbreakingly attractive. Despite being saturated with lake water, his hair hung long, was grayish blue with a hint of silver and thick. Miho wanted to run her fingers through it to see if it was naturally made of water, but resisted the urge.

Water demon tilted his head to the side while he crouched over her, causing his dripping hair to create a veil that hid her face on either side from the surrounding forest. "You seemed to have been ready to panic under water, so I brought you back up to the surface. I hope that was not a mistake on my part?"

Miho shook her head, but kept her words locked up tight.

Water demon smiled softly, which made Miho's heart throb in a way she had never experience before. "Forgive me. I am being quite rude. My name is Tamotsu."

" _Defender…_ " Was all Miho could say in a whisper.

Tamotsu smiled. "And protector. What is your name, my Lady?"

" _It…it's-"_

" _Miho_!" An angry voice snarled from outside of their 'conversation'. Both Miho and Tamotsu looked over and saw a frightening sight looking back.

Sesshomaru, poised for attack with his talon like claws raised and glowing a deadly violet, stood ram rod straight while his eyes fixed on the water demon Tamotsu with a crimson tinted gold glare.


	24. Chapter 24

**_Chapter Twenty-Four_ **

Miho flushed scarlet with embarrassment upon learning that her savior had saved her while he was naked and this angered Sesshomaru more than he was comfortable with. There was nothing new to see that she hadn't seen before after having been raised with brothers, but it didn't change the fact that she was uncomfortable in the presence of a handsome stranger. Also, her keeper wasn't too thrilled by him either, but for an entirely different reason.

Sesshomaru had had to back down from conflict before it even began because Miho refused to move until he withdrew his poison claws. He listened to her and did as she requested but continued to glare until she stepped away from the demon called Tamotsu. That was when he first discovered that Miho's rescuer was currently 'indecent' as she had put it. He was more concerned about Rin being able to see it if she was capable of it than Miho, who was currently covering her face with her kimono sleeve. It was amusing to say the least because upon closer inspection, the female's face was almost matching with her under kimono which was a sheer crimson.

Tamotsu, however, remained in the same exact spot that he had placed Miho on after jumping out of the water like a fresh caught salmon. He stood proud, straight backed, tall and arms folded like nothing was wrong with how he looked. His 'attire' neither hindered his ability to be just as kind as before, nor did it create any awkward tension on his part. If fact, he treated the situation like it was an everyday occurrence to save a pretty damsel and be confronted by their demon lord companion.

Oh yes, Tamotsu knew exactly the kind of demon he was dealing with. Sesshomaru's legacy preceded him all across the Japanese country side from the eastern kingdoms, northern, southern, and even his own beneath the waters of every lake, stream, pond and distant ocean. It wasn't every day he got to see another demon lord, given the fact that he preferred to stay under water and away from the dry lands, but this rare opportunity was just too good to pass up. At first, he had only saved Sesshomaru's companion because that was the kind of person he was; noble. Now, he was beginning to piece the puzzle together that destiny had played a role and that this was not just a coincidence. Tamotsu was not a believer. "I am honored that such a powerful demon such as you has come to my door step so suddenly, even though I am sure you had not meant to do so."

Sesshomaru said nothing.

Tamotsu smiled kindly, in spite of the growing tension. "I know that you are not fond of discussion, but please allow me to speak if only for a few moments."

Again, only silence in reply.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I am Tamotsu. I am also a demon lord whose kingdom resides within the near and distant waters. This young lady," He motioned toward Miho with an elegant flourish of his right hand. "just happened to crash land into my lake near the border between my world and the drylands. I was on my way to the surface when I spotted her hovering above one of our gemstone deposits. I noticed the displacement of my lake water before I had realized what had happened. When I discovered her, I simply settled on one of my boulders and waiting to see what she would do next."

Miho chimed in from some distance away. "I do apologize for disturbing you!" She had hidden herself behind one of the larger forest trees so that she could dress herself in private. "I was just trying to cool off!" It took serious concentration to re tie her obi, but she managed to do so without much difficulty and soon emerged from her hiding spot. A blush still painted her cheeks.

Tamotsu chuckled. "You did no such thing, my Lady. In fact, I found it to be great fun to save a drowning woman. May I ask why you were swimming out so far when it was clear to me that you couldn't swim?"

"I had been suffering a fever for quite some time now. Sesshomaru attempted to throw me into your lake a little while ago, but I convinced him to put me down on dry land first." Miho couldn't maintain eye contact with him. Her eyes were too poorly trained to the point where her gaze momentarily slipped further south and made it so far down his chest that she nearly got caught staring at other 'things'. Instead, she turned to find something in the forest more interesting, though nothing aroused her interests like Tamotsu.

Tamotsu was astounded. The lady had not addressed the other demon lord by his title first, nor did she acknowledge it at all. "Forgive me, madam…as a human and mate of Lord Sesshomaru, why do you not address him as such?"

Miho snapped her head back to face him, pure annoyance resonating in her features. Her lips parted to voice her displeasure at his mistake, but Sesshomaru beat her to it.

The Lord of the Western lands disappeared with lightening speed from his spot and reappeared almost as quickly before Tamotsu. " _You are too bold, Tamotsu. She is neither my mate nor my servant."_ Sesshomaru appeared to be even more frightening and powerful the deeper his voice got. If it were any other demon that scoured the landscape in search of blood and power, they would have been cowering in fear of the sound of his tone and the resonating flash of fire within his golden eyes. But Tamotsu was not any demon. He too was a lord of his own realm and maintained his power with no one's assistance unless he sought for it.

Tamotsu stood his ground, amused by such a display of denial. He smirked, not wickedly, but simply intrigued. "My lord, I meant no disrespect toward the lady. If she is not your mate, then why does your essence linger so vividly within her veins? Is that the reason that her fever has yet to break?"

"What do you mean his essence?" Miho ignored Tamotsu's nakedness and marched herself right up next to Sesshomaru and looked him dead in the eye. "Do I smell of you, Sesshomaru? Is it true?"

Sesshomaru remained mute, while Tamotsu answered for him. "My lady, how is it you are not aware of this? His venom, his poison was given to you through his mark just above your right breast. Surely you knew this?" He was beginning to see a picture he did not find so humorous.

Miho cringed. She knew it all right, but she didn't think it was so obvious. " _Yes…_ " She growled through her clenched teeth. Her anger was suppressed by a strength that she was surprised she possessed. "However, I was unaware that his scent was so apparent."

"So you _are_ his mate, then?"

Miho twisted her head from side to side, viciously denying it. "Our history is a little complicated to say the least. I harbor something very valuable to him and he had attempted to prevent my death in order to preserve the object of his true intentions."

This situation no longer held any sort of humor, leaving Tamotsu feeling faintly vindictive. He turned his gaze to Sesshomaru, who had back off a decent amount and was standing just a few feet away watching him. "And what exactly is your true intention with the lady, Lord Sesshomaru? I dare say her suffering deserves more pity than what you have displayed today. You plucked a dying human from where ever it is you have taken her from and plagued her with a mark that she did not even ask for just to preserve her life so that you could gain whatever it is that she has that you desire? True selfishness at my doorstep is neither accepted nor tolerated! How _dare_ you bestow such an intimate gift upon someone unwilling to reciprocate the affection that a demon mark is supposed to represent?" Tamotsu turned to Miho and flipped his long hair back behind his ear, revealing more of his chest than Miho was comfortable with. "My lady, if his mark is a burden on you, it is possible to remove it. There is no reason for you to bare it if it is not what you have desired. There are other ways to heal you if you are indeed dying."

Miho blinked rapidly in disbelief. "You are correct. I was not willing to receive it, but there was a reason it was bestowed upon me without my consent…and right now, I know that it is not enough to save my life. His poison was supposed to prolong my life until the cause of my deterioration was removed. Unfortunately, even with his essence flowing within my veins, there is nothing it can do to stop my death so long as the soul of his mate is still attached to my own."

This profession rendered Tamotsu stunned. Out of all of the things that had been going through his mind about the situation at hand and the possible explanations there could be to solve the mystery of the demon lord and human woman at the entrance to his lake, Miho's admission was not among them. "The soul of…his _mate_?"

"You have no doubt heard of the human woman he took for his mate several decades ago?"

Tamotsu was not entirely familiar with the lives of other demon lords, but he knew of Sesshomaru's well enough. "Indeed I have. I had heard that she was a great beauty, much like the priestess that his half brother Inuyasha had taken for his mate. I believe her name was Rin, though I do not know the truth of what happened to her. There were too many rumors circulating back then to arrive at a solid conclusion."

"Then allow me to clear the air." Sesshomaru stepped forward again but focused his attention on Miho instead of the person inquiring about their connection. "I had found a child murdered on the side of the road around the time of Naraku. She had been killed by a pack of wolves while under the age of ten. I revived her. She followed me into battles until I forced her to stay behind. I kept her safe until the situation was too dangerous to do so, and then I forced her to live in a human village until she was old enough to decide if she wanted to stay with her own kind or live along side me." Sesshomaru kept his eyes locked with Miho's, who was gazing back at him with an array of different emotions swimming on her face. "She chose to live with me. I claimed her as mine, and would do so a hundred times again because I fell in love with her. I fell in love with a mortal girl, following the footsteps of my father despite having denied that I would ever do so thousands of times before. And by some miracle, she had fallen in love with me." Sesshomaru never betrayed himself with emotion…until now. His golden eyes spoke the truth louder than any words ever could. "Our love, like my father's love toward Inuyasha's human mother, was looked upon as an abomination. I entrusted her life…and the life of my unborn child to a demon who took advantage of my stupidity. He killed my sister first. Waited until Rin had locked herself in our room with grief, and then came to murder her and my son…and succeeded. I killed him after I discovered her body, gutted and near death." Sesshomaru finally broke eye contact with Miho by closing his eyes. She saw a flash of a tear before she lost sight of them. "Her last words, though were silent, were mouthed until her heart stopped beating. She said my name, along with the words 'I'm sorry', as if it had been her fault."

Miho swallowed the knot that had formed within her throat.

Sesshomaru continued. "I have waited and searched for decades for her reincarnation, hoping to discover that Rin had been born again still remembering who I was and where she had come from, but that was not the case. I found her alright, but in the form of this mortal girl." Sesshomaru nodded toward Miho, who was busy staring at her feet. "Miho was 'employed' at a Geisha house about a day's journey from here. She had been suffering phantom pains brought on by the wound that Rin had sustained at her death. Upon seeing my face, the face of my sister and brother, his mate, their sons, and my vassal, Rin was finally able to awaken, taking over Miho's body in the process. Such a phenomenon is rare and dangerous, which is why Miho has a fever and why I marked her in the first place, to prolong the health of her body. Our journey ends here, after Miho had managed to retake control of her body, rendering Rin's soul dormant within her. Their souls are connected, and with that connection comes the threat of death for them both unless we can separate them in time. With that said, it is time for us to be on our way. If Miho wishes to live, we need to carry on and return to my castle in the western lands. Rin's body was healed and preserved, and is now waiting to receive Rin's soul once more." Sesshomaru turned his back on Tamotsu and headed for Miho, who was just as flabbergasted by his declarations as the water demon. "Shall we leave?"

Miho simply nodded, not caring any more about her sufferings. After Sesshomaru's recollections of the past, all she wanted to do was save his mate almost as much as he did. The only way to do it though, was to get to Rin's body as fast as possible and for the first time since this whole mess had started, she was ready and willing to continue their journey on.

She held out her hand in invitation and allowed him to sweep her up in his arms. They were just about to take off into the sky when Tamotsu stopped them with a hand on Sesshomaru's shoulder. "The sky is no longer safe for you to journey in, my friends." He pointed to a patch of darkening sky that was full to bursting with rain water and deadly lightning bolts. "Might I suggest safe passage within my waters? I will show you the way to the western lands through the underwater tunnels. There is no need to fret about a lack of breathable air, as I am more than capable of providing you with it since it is within my power."

Miho thought for a moment to consider without any regard to what Sesshomaru might be thinking. "I can agree to that, but on one condition."

"What is that, my lady?"

" _Put on some clothes!"_


	25. Chapter 25

**_Chapter Twenty-Five_ **

She caught a glimpse of her husband from behind the cover of Miho's eyes. On the outside, he appeared no worse for wear than he did on the day she had last held him within her own eyes, but this was no cause for joy. In theory, Rin should feel obligated to accept that his outward appearance was exactly as it was on the day of her death, perfect and unscarred. His face had been void of all emotion, but his soul was visible just inside of the gold iris that protected it from all who dared to see his emotions for what they really were, even now. In indescribable pain, no one could have detected the evidence of this unless they had experienced his affections or at the very least, his respect. There wasn't a person on earth who had ever been privy to the expression of this hurt, save his own mother, and perhaps even Jaken. Kohaku had been present when Rin had been stripped of her soul for a second time, but he had not understood Sesshomaru enough to know that he was in fact capable of human suffering. This fact alone weighed so heavy on her now that she sensed the bitter guilt of betrayal despite never having betrayed him…at least, she tried to _convince_ herself that she had not done so.

Strangely enough, Rin had managed to escape her personal purgatory just long enough to view the world behind another's eyes. What she saw was a world that she recognized, but didn't at the same time. The lands had not changed much, aside from the decaying of summer which slowly began to transform into a cooling autumn. Miho had been standing at the edge of a great body of water, but just on the horizon of this water, there was a speck of land, indicating that it was not the ocean she was seeing. Miho had her own eyes trained on a man who was not familiar in Rin's memories, but she knew him for what he was. A water demon who was bare naked from the neck down and it forced her to retreat for a moment from the view until she broke free of embarrassment and dared to look again. This time, she had seen her husband. He was not looking at Miho or the water demon, nor was he looking at anything at all aside from the empty air ahead of him.

Even though she was not among the living, she felt in the absent space where her heart should be a deep ache that would not desist. His eyes may have had a hidden veil across them, but she knew what sadness looked like. He had changed, though not in appearance, but in those honey tinted orbs, he was lost…alone and very distant from the surrounding world as though he were not really there at all. It took Miho's persistent caterwauling to release him from the trance he did not seem to have realized he was under. Rin's soul ached for him, desperate to heal whatever wound that she had created from their past due to her untimely passing, but she held no control over where she was nor did she desire to attempt control. Miho had suffered enough from her presence so she did nothing more than withdraw herself from the equation for the time being until she was called upon by Miho…or the draw of the underworld which was a constant source of worry. For the time being, she willed herself not to exist.

Meanwhile, Miho was doing her best to remain calm. It didn't help the situation knowing that just outside of her vantage point, a naked male demon was double over in laughter, which inflamed her annoyance even further. "Lord Tamotsu, if you do not acquire a suitable set of clothes, I will be forced to knock you the hell out!" It wasn't in her nature to address a demon so formally, but for some unknown reason, if felt wrong not to. It also wasn't in her nature to threaten a stranger so viciously, but his attractiveness added to his nakedness left her strangely uncomfortable…but in a way that left her feeling a little funny on the inside. It was as though she found him attractive, maybe even desirable.

Miho growled in frustration at herself. _Unbelievable! You don't even know him, so stop thinking like that!_ "Sesshomaru!" She looked up and over toward the dog demon in hopes that he might be able to do something about Tamotsu and was taken aback at what she saw.

Sesshomaru was silent and unmoving, but also unseeing as though he were not even there at all. "Sesshomaru?" She asked again, this time with a little more sound. "Lord Sesshomaru, can you hear me? Hello!" She stomped her feet in her approach, hoping it would catch his attention but he was still as a fresh carved stone statue. He did not move until Miho got up in his face. "Rin can see you right now, I hope you know."

Sesshomaru blinked, but his eyes remained the same. "I am aware."

Miho huffed before she turned back around to glare at the still cackling water demon. "We do not have the time to spare to witness your indecent laughter in regard to my shyness due to your nudity! If you are to show us another way to get to the western lands, then the time is now to leave. I cannot waste another minute, for every minute wasted is a minute that could have been used to save Rin's life and my own." She reached behind her and grabbed Sesshomaru by the sleeve and all but dragged him by this makeshift leash over to the water's edge, ignoring Tamotsu's wicked smirk as she looked him square in the eye. "Shall we go?"

"As the lady wishes." Tamotsu bowed at the waist and took Miho by her free hand and led them into the lake.

The water lapped at Miho's already soggy hem as she descended into it with Sesshomaru in tow. He had not even tried to resist her rude actions, but she had other worries to think about and decided to put the thought aside for the moment.

Tamotsu had to almost pull her beneath the surface due to the now common knowledge that Miho couldn't swim. Her nervousness was kept into account, but as she had said to him before, there wasn't a minute left to spare for her life with irrational fears like heights, water, bugs or various other things that people were known to fear. Almost as soon as they were completely submerged, he summoned his powers to manipulate the elements around them and focused his energy on encasing Miho and Sesshomaru in a thick bubble full of clean, breathable air.

They had no time to admire the view but from what Miho could see, everything around them was painted in cool crystal blues and opaque greens around sunken boulders, clay and dirt, and a treasure field that glistened regardless of the thunder clouds building in the world above. The treasures she saw were worth more where they rested than in the hands of the richest aristocrats. Gem stones embedded within black rock shimmered in rainbows while familiar looking human items like jewelry, gold and silver coins, goblets and pottery of the finest quality were scattered about as though they had been abandoned from a sunken ship, but this was too near the coast to be the case. " _These were gifts from the human villages."_ Tamotsu said clearly as though he was speaking to them on land, but his voice was muffled somewhat by the water. _"The people, when they learned of my kingdom here, feared my powers and my people as though we were monsters destined to destroy their lives. This was their attempt to keep us from harming them, although I had no intention of it causing them the harm that they feared me possible of inflicting. After a while, they stopped doing so and decided instead to inflict harm on us if any of my people were ever spotted coming out of the water. It didn't take long for me to settle the conflicts, but I did place a shield on my kingdom."_ Tamotsu smiled toward Miho while he spoke his next words. " _My lady, you are the first human to have been accepted by my lake for over a hundred years. That is why I was so fascinated when I first saw you that I could not help but stare. That and well…you are also the most beautiful human I have ever seen."_ He grinned at the blush that darkly tinted Miho's cheeks, while Sesshomaru glared.

 _"Well that's just…I…thank you!"_ Miho squeaked while she buried her dripping wet face into her soaking wet hands. Just because she was in an air bubble didn't mean she was automatically immune to the ability of becoming saturated by lake water. Try as she might, there was no chance of privacy nor a chance to hide her bright red face. " _Can we just go now, please?"_

Tamotsu grinned and nodded, but said no more as he turned away from them and headed on a course aimed in the direction of darker waters.

Miho ignored her bubble companion, leaving Sesshomaru to stew in his own thoughts while she herself set out to study just what kind of world she had agreed to be dragged through. The waters stayed perfectly distant from her with the protection of the air bubble, but she still harbored anxiety with her irrational fear of drowning. It wasn't that she had been denied the privilege of learning to swim on her own, but she was just terrified of the idea of being so far beneath the surface of water that she might not have the lung capacity to survive the journey back up to it depending on the depth of the water she was swimming in. The very idea of sucking in the liquid and fading into unconsciousness left her struggling to breathe even on dry land. It was a fear that she despised about herself for almost her entire life. She had never experienced an incident that would have killed her…by water, but she still couldn't help but feel distant from it whenever opportunities came her way.

Miho thought a moment. _I can't really say I haven't had an incident though. When I saw Jaken at the hot spring before Kagome showed up, I nearly drowned myself with hot water because I was so startled._ She shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes at herself before she put a stop to her inner monologues. It wasn't as though Rin were listening to her thoughts, but she was just tired of listening to herself talk in her head that she just decided to shut it off all together. Besides, Rin had sort of 'stepped out' for the moment anyway so there was no one in which to add fuel to the 'conversation'.

Instead of talking to herself, Miho took a tentative step forward, conscious of the fact that she was inside a bubble that might burst at any second if she dared strike it with a rogue toe or finger. With careful maneuvering, she shifted herself to the front of the bubbles interior and stood right up next to Tamotsu, who was too busy navigating to notice her presence. As if driving a carriage, he directed them on a swift course out of shallow waters and into mountainous field of black volcano like mounds that loomed for what appeared to be miles in the distance, illuminated by rays of sunshine but dimmed by the algae that also inhabited the water freely. It didn't take long for those vibrate rays of sun to be diminished by threatening storm clouds that began to burst at the seams with violent lightening volts. Soon, a downpour of rain drummed across the lake surface and created a loud vibration that forced Miho to cover her ears.

" _Don't worry, my Lady. The deeper we travel, the less sound from the surface you will hear."_ Tamotsu's reassurance did little until his promise was carried out. Indeed, he was correct when he angled their journey deeper and farther into the black mountains of underwater life.

Miho removed her hands and looked around some more, interested in the dim surroundings that her driver was leading her through. She began to notice multi colored stones protruding from the bases of those black hills, allowing her to assume that these mountains were in fact here by volcanic activity. It took that kind of power to produce just beautifully perfect and large gems such as these, and upon closer inspection, Miho could even name some of them too. " _Tamotsu, where is the volcano that produced these gem deposits? I know there must be one close by."_

Tamotsu did not slow down despite having angled so far down that Miho was beginning to think he was leading them straight into the lake floor. " _You have well trained eyes, my lady. Yes, there is a volcano a few miles ahead of us. It isn't active though, but it is rich with gem stones and vents which leaks hot water from time to time. My kingdom is located at its base. Perhaps if you survive this journey that you are on, you might like to see it for yourself?"_

Without thinking about it, Miho smiled. _"Is your home built from the lava that the volcano produced?"_

Tamotsu looked over his shoulder at her and gave her a half smile before he turned his attention back on their direction. " _Again, very perceptive of you, my lady."_

Miho took that as a sign to stop talking. Instead, she focused her attention on their destination, which was coming up to meet them rather quickly. The lake floor, though dark from a lack of illumination from the sun, was visible but there was no indication that there was an opening for them to fall through. Just as she was about to panic, an opening appeared at the last minute and swallowed them whole while Miho screamed and threw herself backward into Sesshomaru's shoulder.

Sesshomaru didn't see her coming, but caught her before she rebounded to collide with the side of the bubble wall.

"Thanks." Was all she let herself say due to an overabundance of embarrassment.

Sesshomaru released and said nothing, but began to stare forward as they were greeted by a shroud of darkness with the exception of Tamotsu, who appeared to be glowing as though he was set ablaze beneath his very skin. He took on the very colors of the sunset, only slightly muted as though not to blind the weak eyed.

Miho gazed so intently at his beauty that she failed to notice that Tamotsu was gazing right back at her with a smirk that told Sesshomaru that he enjoyed every ounce of attention he was receiving from her. Of course, none of this bothered the great demon lord. Miho was a free woman who deserved to admire any man that caught her attention, but he was worried about what might happen if she did not survive this journey that they had set out on to recover Rin's soul. He wouldn't willingly admit this to anyone, even Rin if she was alive and well, but he felt guilt for this woman. She had been right that it wasn't fair what had happened to her. It wasn't her fault, but it wasn't Rin's fault either that they both ended up sharing the same body in this lifetime. The fault was entirely his own because of his ignorance to see that even his allies could become his greatest enemies if provoked with the right encouragement. He was going to save Rin's life even if it killed him to do so, but he was also going to save Miho's as well. Sesshomaru was even beginning to feel bad about pursuing Miho in the first place. If he hadn't of shown up when he did, Miho would be living a full life instead of the life she was now experiencing.

Sesshomaru thought again. That wasn't true. If he had left Miho alone, she would still be living in a geisha house, training to become something that she wasn't. She would have been a slave until she died, so in a way, he saved her. But still…if Rin had not been made aware of herself in Miho's body, then both of them would have lived on in Miho for a much longer period of time, and then Rin could have been reincarnated into a body that only held her own soul.

Tamotsu brought him out of his thoughts when he cleared his throat. This action wasn't to garner his attention, but to bring Miho to the awareness that she had been caught staring without reserve upon Tamotsu's person. It was slightly amusing to see the woman shy away from their stares, but he never let himself show it. It just wasn't in his nature to allow others to see his emotions outside battles.

Miho apologized profusely until she was blue in the face, but the nude water demon insisted on laughing with every attempt until he himself was blue in the face. " _Where are we exactly?"_ This was all she got out before she buried her tomato red face into her hands to get away from the spectacle.

" _My Lady, my Lord, we are within one of my underground caverns. Fear not of the jagged rocks because the air pocket that I have sealed you in will not dissipate without my will of it."_ Tamotsu indicated toward an opening behind him which led into nothing but darkness. " _Although there is no light, I am bioluminescent in nature when sunlight is scarce. This tunnel will lead us safely to the western lands. Come."_ It wasn't as though he meant for them to guide their own bubble since they had no way to steer the thing without bursting it and swimming, but he meant it as a reassurance that they would continue moving.

Miho did not unbury herself from her hands until what she knew to been moonlight peeking through her clenched fingers and told her that their short excursion through the tunnel was complete and they were beginning to resurface on the other side of their long voyage.


	26. Chapter 26

**_Chapter Twenty Six_ **

_Rin felt strange. A dull had sparked within her chest, small at first but grew with each passing moment as though it were being fueled by an unseen force determined to burn her alive in her own skin. 'What is this feeling? Something isn't right…'_

_Her eyelids parted to gaze upon the barren landscape that was her dismal reality. Nothing had changed in the brief moments that she had begun to feel sick, or what she believed to be illness. Nothing else could explain the fire, which for the time being had stilled to a more manageable ember as she attempted to make sense of its presence. All hopes of discovering, however, were dashed upon viewing her world as it was. Even Rin could not explain the change that had somehow taken place before her weary eyes._

_Instead of the dark forest that she had started out in or the black and white flatlands that had appeared after, she was now located within a field of color that could only be described as a fallen rainbow. It was familiar, yet she was positive she had never seen anything like it. A massive field of wild flowers in every possible hue expanded so far out into the distance that Rin believed there might never be an end to it. Within the center of this large meadow, a crystal clear lake, so placid in a appearance that it resembled a pane of glass, laid innocently beside a colossal willow tree which housed new yellow baby blooms. Each branch was licked by the oncoming wind, causing them to dance to the tune of the breeze that whistled through the limbs of far away trees._

_Rin's lower jaw released and dropped down until her whole mouth formed a perfect O. She had completely forgotten about her pain at the sight of such tranquility. This was an image that she had never dreamed she would ever be capable of seeing and yet she was currently standing in it._

_Her body responded to the pull of such beauty before her mind had a chance to catch up. Rin's feet shifted beneath her and carried her, almost floating, toward the water. Unlike other bodies of water she had seen, this one was entirely different. This one possessed an invisible power that Rin's inner self instantly distrusted, but the rest of her ignored the signs. With each step, she felt weightless. Gravity was obviously not a factor for wherever she had ended up but she was starting to think that because of this, she might never reach the water._

_But reach it she did. Within seconds of starting her journey, she was rewarded by the sounds of lapping waves at her naked toes which caused her to look down. Her feet were just barely skimming the surface, but the cool liquid drew her closer. As she stepped into the welcoming water, the burning flared once more. Only this time she cried aloud. 'OH!'_

_Every intake of breath seemed to kindle the flames, but the water before her offered little assistance toward her plight. One stoke of the fire was enough to bring her to her knees and she landed with a splash so loud that her ear drums nearly exploded. Something was not right. Her heightened sensitivity to sound was highly unusual. There was no explanation. What was happening to her?_

_Rin dared to breathe in again but nearly choked as her nose and throat felt as if they had turned to ash. 'W-w-wha-what's…happening?!' She cupped her trembling hands and filled them with the clear liquid before, brought it to her lips and attempted to drink to soothe her burning insides. Nothing happened._

_Horrified, Rin looked into her hands and discovered that the water had dissolved. Determined to relieve her pain, she instead leaned forward until her face broke the water's surface and tried to gulf down a mouthful, but instead took in what tasted like lamp oil. Before she could spit it out, the substance was already wreaking havoc on her insides. Determined to rid herself of whatever it was that she had ingested, she jammed a finger down her throat to cause her body to react. What she expelled was not what she had swallowed. What was supposed to be crystal clear water, or soft yellow oil, turned out to be her own blood. With every heave, Rin could do nothing to take back control of herself until she felt sure she would succumb to suffocation if she did not act. In one move, she harnessed what little strength she had left and threw herself backward until she felt her lower limbs leave the 'water'._

_The bloodied bile ceased to flow as if a switch had been turned, leaving Rin breathless and weak as she clung to what was left of her sanity. But her relief was short lived once she noticed that the blood she had expelled was nowhere to be seen on the lake's surface. Everything appeared to her as though the horrifying incident had never even occurred. Looking down on her person, there was no evidence left behind on her soft pink kimono to prove what she had just experienced to be real._

_Shaking, Rin gripped the soil beneath her tightly until she calmed down enough to stand. After a minute of deep healing breaths, Rin remembered the fire. Strangely though, it had diminished, leaving her insides feeling normal as though nothing at all had happened. Rin shook her head to clear her thoughts before standing erect to reevaluate her circumstances. 'I am not wet at all, my clothes are free of my blood, my mouth no longer tastes of ash and the fire within my body is gone. What is happening to me?'_

_Rin placed an open palm on her forehead to keep herself steady while she found the strength in her legs._

_'Rin?'_

_Rin jerked free of her thoughts as the sound of her name being called reached her ears. Instead of having her eardrums assaulted, this sound was soft like summer breeze. She looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of a figure across the wide expanse of the lake. Her mouth moved to form a perfect O once more. 'How can it be?' Rin gulped before she addressed the figure, unsure if her words might scare the person away. 'I know your face…from my history.'_

_Although she did not speak loudly, the person across the water from her had heard every word clear as day. 'It has been many years since our paths have crossed, Rin.' The figure did not move, but their hair flowed freely in the warm breeze. It was darker than a moonless night and almost as long as they were tall._

_Rin nodded. 'Many years, indeed. Why-why have you come here? Why am I here?'_

_The figure smiled sadly. It was such a beautiful smile. 'I am here to guide you to your destiny, Rin. You are here to meet me.' Their eyes were nearly as dark as their hair, but still kind just the same if not a little sad. 'Does my appearance frighten you?'_

_Rin shook her head. 'I am not afraid. Not of you.'_

_Again, the figure smiled. 'You appear so young though have become so mature. But I see the years you have attained through your weary eyes. Your soul has witnessed more pain than happiness, just as mine has.'_

_'You have not changed at all, Lady Kikyo.' Rin took a step forward, not realizing where her feet where taking her._

_'I would not do that, Rin!' Kikyo held her hand up to halt the other woman in her tracks. 'The water may appear innocent, but the illusion can cause more harm than good. Its powers drew you in and attempted to drain your soul from you.'_

_'I do not understand.'_

_Kikyo lowered her hand and motioned for Rin to take in the water with their eyes. 'This is a tool designed by time to bring those unlucky enough to reach it to their ultimate demise.' Kikyo nodded her head in Rin's direction. 'Should you attempt to cross it, go around it or drink from it, it will consume your soul and you will never be reborn… nor will you ever see Sesshomaru again.'_

_Upon hearing her beloved's name, Rin drew her hand quickly to her lips to stifle a cry of surprise. 'Sesshomaru! How could I have forgotten?' The heat behind her eyes indicated that she was near tears, but she refused to release them. Instead, she steadied herself and looked back up at Kikyo. 'Is this where you came to when you died?'_

_Kikyo closed her eyes, bowed her head, and hid her oncoming smile. 'I suppose.' The answer was vague, but there was no time to dwell on it at the moment._

_Rin sucked in air to calm herself before she allowed her next question to be asked. 'Am I dead, Kikyo?'_

_The priestess looked up at her from the cover of her bangs and gazed hard until Rin shifted uncomfortably. 'It is my understanding that you are neither dead nor alive.' Kikyo held another hand up to stop Rin from speaking. 'Your soul is suspended between the world of the living and the world of the dead. It is a most interesting situation, but extremely dangerous to say the least.'_

_Rin could not stay silent. 'My soul has attached itself to another person. I am connected to another soul's body!'_

_Kikyo nodded. 'Indeed you are. And if your soul is not removed from the body that it has attached to, you and the other person will die. It is quite obvious that because you have ended up in this valley, this field, your soul and Miho's body will succumb to the oncoming grip of death. I fear that she will soon be joining you.'_

_Rin lost control of her legs and crashed down onto the crisp green grass and a small crowd of lavender and sunflowers. 'Then I will not be saved? I will not be resurrected?'_

_'I am not here to predict the future. However, I am here to prepare you for the battle that you might soon have to face.' Kikyo's attempt at an answer did nothing more than inject fear into Rin's heart._

_'Am I to remain here for the rest of eternity?' Rin whispered. ' Forever suspended between life and death?'_

_'My existence now is to ensure that you follow the path that you are drawn to following.' Kikyo stood tall and gazed sadly from across the water at the woman crumpled in a heap. 'You seem destined to follow the same path that I was once forced to endure. The only difference is Miho, the woman who holds your very existence inside of herself…but even she is beginning to reach her limits.'_

_'She-she w-will not surv-v-vive?' Rin's form shook so bad that it caused her voice to tremble._

_Kikyo sought Rin's deep brown eyes until she had her full attention. 'Her survival, despite her courage and her strengths, is as of right now…unlikely.'_

_The tears behind Rin's eyes fell then, in spite of her best efforts to control them. 'Can I do anything to alter this?'_

_Kikyo gazed at her for a long moment, never taking her eyes off of Rin. The priestess held the woman's tear stained face within her sight until she seized up the nerve to respond. There were no words…only a simple shake of her head._


	27. Chapter 27

**_Chapter Twenty-Seven_ **

Strangely, there was no moon to be seen when they emerged from the water. A trick of the mind, perhaps? Miho's head was beginning to get foggy with exhaustion, but a dull ache behind her right eye would soon lead her to believe that something more sinister was at work.

The sun began to set within a painting of all the colors imaginable by the time Miho and Sesshomaru reached the waters' edge. Distant clouds billowed and swirled due to the fading heat and dying rainstorms, changing from bright orange, to sharp and soft pinks, deep violets and finally the unmistakable midnight blue that produced a dusted canvas of twinkling stars. Far off into the horizon, lightning bolts danced until the winds of twilight carted them away to dampen other villages. Their fading presence left behind the scent of moist earth and watered down plants.

By the time Sesshomaru set Miho down onto her own two feet, she was beginning to notice the irrefutable ghost of a headache that the atmosphere was no doubt responsible for inflicting. As a conversation between the two male demons commenced from behind, the woman placed two fingers on either side of the bridge of her nose and massaged the area around her eyes as the dull ache transformed into something more sinister. _Something is wrong…_ Miho thought, but she did not speak her suspicions aloud. The last thing that needed to happen was a panic, so she quickly removed her fingers and twisted her body around to face her companion. Sesshomaru had been so deeply engrossed in conversation with Tamotsu that he failed to notice Miho staring.

Tamotsu was the first realize that her attention was on them. He grinned brightly, flashing two rows of pearl white teeth. Miho would have assumed he stole them from a human mouth if she had not been privy to seeing Sesshomaru's own set of teeth. Very plainly visible on the top row, Tamotsu's canines glistened in the twinkling starlight. They were needle pointed sharp, almost identical to Sesshomaru's. For some odd reason, the sight of them made her heart flutter and the blood beneath the surface of her skin to heat and rise up, causing her fare skin to flush an unflattering shade of pink. "My Lady, I trust our trip through the waters was not too traumatizing for you?" Sesshomaru also turned to stare at her with one of his eyebrows raised in question upon seeing her blush. There was a hint of amusement in that little quirk.

Miho cleared her throat and shook her head. "Of course not. It was…fun." She didn't care that her lie was more than plainly obvious in the tremble of her voice. All she wanted at the moment was for Tamotsu to stop smiling so that she could focus on clearing her head of the pain that was threatening to take her over the edge of agony. Something was _defiantly_ wrong. "Sesshomaru, I think we had better be on our way." She glanced in Tamotsu's direction. "Thank you for your assistance."

"You are most welcome, my Lady." Tamotsu bowed deeply at the waist before returning upright. "Are you well, Miho? Although your skin is now a lovely shade of pink, you seem to have gone pale."

Sesshomaru didn't hesitate. He turned completely around to take her entire form into his molten gaze. Miho blinked in surprise but quickly shook her head. "I am perfectly fine, gentlemen. No need to worry. Shall we go?" Her headache was starting to make her stomach dance in an unpleasant fashion.

Sesshomaru was no fool, but he played the situation as though he were completely ignorant. "Alright. Tamotsu, I will be sure to invite you to my home sometime soon. I'm sure that once Miho's health is restored, she will wish to see you again."

This time Miho dropped her forehead into her open palm, both from embarrassment and pain. "Of course, that would be most welcome indeed, my Lord." She plastered a strained smile that resembled more of a grimace on her lips when she lifted her face to look at the two male demons standing in front of her. "I will be looking forward to it." _If I manage to be alive by then,_ she thought sadly. Now was not the time to dwell of whether or not she would live to see this handsome water demon again.

Sesshomaru nodded. "Time to leave."

Tamotsu managed to slip in final words before the two companions flew into the night. "Safe journey, my friends!"

…..

Her skull felt as though it wished to explode, just to relieve the pressure a fraction. Miho put her hand up against her forehead again, hoping to ease the pain with her chilled fingers, but nothing seemed capable of doing so. It didn't help that Sesshomaru's body heat was much higher than hers given his full demon status. Her fever mixed with his heat created a white hot pain that was so intense that it was blinding. Just one glance into the night sky with its glistening stars so bright, made her groan from the torture of it. The silver lining in this whole situation, however, was that the sun was nowhere to be found to cause her further agony.

Sesshomaru began to worry as they flew. Miho had begun to squirm every few seconds, making it impossible for him to not notice that she was becoming severely ill. In the last hour alone, her temperature had risen significantly, proving that death was drawing near. Her head appeared to be hurting her so badly that Miho didn't even take notice that she was shaking uncontrollably from the fever that was eating her alive from the inside out. There had been no attempt from Rin to break through this time. It appeared that both women, both souls were beginning to deteriorate and Sesshomaru could not get them to safety fast enough.

He knew she had taken a turn for the worst when her skin had flushed so deeply before they left Tamotsu's company. It wasn't just her embarrassment that made her skin react so harshly. The fever had already been present during their journey through the underwater cave, even before that. What alarmed him the most, however, was not that she had blushed so easily. It was that the skin that did not blush had been a sickly ghost white. Nothing could conceal her agony under Sesshomaru's watching gaze.

Miho felt the pain slipping down from the top of her skull, to the base and down farther still until it seized up the muscles within her neck and shoulders. There was no comfortable position to lie in while Sesshomaru cradled her sick form. The sensation of flying seemed only to exhaust her more than walking would have. Miho felt dizzy and light headed despite the overbearing weight of pressure taking over her senses. The back of her tongue seemed to take on the swelling pain from her neck, making it extremely difficult to breathe right unless she curved her neck back to open her airway. Fear followed her desperation to take back control of herself and she panicked by allowing tears to well up behind her tightly clenched eyelids. _Rin? Rin?_

Miho's thoughts took on a life of their own as they formed the name of the woman whose soul that her body had possessed throughout her entire life. _Rin, answer me! Please…answer me! What is going on!_

Sesshomaru accommodated Miho's movement by adjusting one of his arms to cradle the weight of her neck, hoping this would help her survive just a little longer. His own fear began to grip him so hard that he almost missed the view of his castle several miles off into the horizon.

…

_Rin gasped so loudly that Kikyo blinked in surprise. 'What has happened? Rin, what's wrong?'_

_Rin shook her head trying to clear the pain that had taken hold of her without warning. Whatever pain this was, it was blinding and almost debilitating in nature. Before she could cry out, the pain vanished and was replaced by a shout. 'Rin, answer me! Please…answer me! What is going on?'_

_Rin's mouth dropped open. 'Miho?'_

_Kikyo waved to get her attention back. 'Rin, she is on the verge of death. If you wish to give her any chance, you must not catch her attention. She must be allowed to return to the world of the living.'_

_'Rin! Please! Help me!' Miho's voice echoed through the endless meadow like a drifting wind._

_The breeze all but slapped Rin in the face. 'I have to help her, Kikyo!' Ignoring all warning to the contrary, Rin bolted toward the edge of the water once more_. _Instead of touching it, Rin took off running along its edge to reach the other side where Kikyo's form was disappearing faster with every step she took. Miho's voice was coming from the spot where Kikyo had been standing._

_It didn't take long for her to figure out that no matter how long or far she ran, she was not getting closer to the source of Miho's cries. Try as she might, Rin could not reach Kikyo's destination. More out of frustration than anything, Rin turned back around and ran her way back to her previous location. Kikyo once again materialized, but she did not appear thrilled to see her._

' _You cannot help her, Rin! She is unreachable! There is nothing you can do except leave her to fight her own battles.' Rin knew Kikyo was right, but it didn't make her any less ready to fight for her. Miho was her only chance to live again._

…..

Miho surfaced into the conscious world not on her own free will, but because Rin had not responded at all. For some reason, she had ignored Miho's cries for help… _or perhaps she was already gone._ Miho did not like the thought one bit, but there was no way to know. The weight of Rin's soul was still there attached to her own, but that didn't prove much other than she was still connected to something that was surely killing her with every passing second.

Breathing in deeply, she managed to center her thoughts through the pain enough to register that Sesshomaru was carrying her at a much lower altitude than he had been not long ago. She only had to open her eyes once to know that Sesshomaru's home was before them. Miho had seen it before inside of Rin's mind so there was no shock or awe in her reaction upon seeing the massive structure, this castle in the sky.

A silvery cloud of mist gathered about the building, providing an ominous welcome that left the young woman unsure if she wished to complete their journey. The fog somehow made Sesshomaru's home appear as though it were floating, but they both knew better. Soft ground cushioned their landing, proving that the castle was still indeed attached to the earth.

Miho freed herself from Sesshomaru's arms, hoping to look around where she had ended up before being carted off to an unknown destiny, but found her front side eagerly wishing to address the ground. But the ground beat her to it as it came up to meet her instead.

The only thing that she was able to see before the world went dark was the silhouette of a toad and two-headed dragon demon running toward her, illuminated by the lamp light of a dark haired girl that she had no memory of.


	28. Chapter 28

**_Chapter Twenty-Eight_ **

Chaos ensued when the crowd of demons surrounded them. Sesshomaru had to growl his displeasure in order to command attention, though even that wasn't enough to keep his attendants and vassal from surrounding and assaulting him with questions. " _My Lord, what has happened?" "Is she dead?" How long does she have, my Lord?" "Shall I prepare the rooms, Lord Sesshomaru?" "My Lord, Rin's body has been removed from the preservation baths and is being prepped."_

Sesshomaru's ears caught every question, but he focused on the statement. "Any sign on life in her?" He turned to face the woman with the short dark hair who was holding a soft glowing lantern. "Is her body showing any sign of life?"

The dark haired woman returned his gaze with a hard look of her own. "Her condition has not changed…her flesh may appear as though she were only locked in sleep, but there is no movement to her chest to indicate she is breathing. Nor has she displayed any sign that she could stir."

"Ah-Un!" Sesshomaru did not stop to think.

The two headed dragon demon shuffled their way through the small gathering of demons and stopped just as Sesshomaru's right side. The great demon Lord set Miho's unconscious body down gently upon Ah-Un's back and stepped away, not even having to tell them where to take her. Sesshomaru fixed the muscles in his face, making him appear as though he was indifferent to the whole situation, but he was fooling no one. "Jaken, go with them. Do not leave her alone."

The dwarf like toad demon gazed up at Sesshomaru's expression, a whole barrage of questions lingering in the silence, but he remained mute. Jaken nodded after a few beats of time and turned quickly to follow Ah-Un into the castle gates.

Sesshomaru waited until they were out of sight to address the dark haired woman to his left. "Should this work…if Rin comes back, I am holding you responsible for her condition. There is no way of knowing what she will experience coming back to her body after so many years have passed."

The dark haired woman stared blankly at him until Sesshomaru fixed her with his notorious golden eyes. "So…it's true? She-she's really back?"

Sesshomaru nodded once.

The dark haired woman placed a hand on her chest and exhaled a heavy breath before she staggered backward as few paces and righted herself. Her dark eyes held a not so subtle sheen of tears, but there was a hidden meaning within them. "I-I-I will…do my best, my Lord." She turned on her toes and moved away from the crowd.

Sesshomaru wasn't finished. "Aya!" The dark haired woman turned to face him once more. "Has my brother arrived yet?"

Aya quirked an eyebrow. "Not that I have been made aware of, my Lord."

Sesshomaru nodded. "You are dismissed."

Aya stayed a moment longer. "Will you not be there for her, Sesshomaru?"

The great dog demon glared, but said nothing.

Aya shrugged. "I mean…did you not wish to be there for her awakening? Perhaps it is your face she would wish to see first rather than mine, or the Priestess?"

"My brother's mate has arrived?" He dodged the question without care.

"Priestess Kagome appeared only minutes before you. She was accompanied by Lady Ura and a human female that I did not recognize."

Sesshomaru breathed in a dose of much needed air and swallowed before tilting his head for Aya to dismiss herself.

Aya bowed deeply at the waist, understanding that she was being silently told to walk away before she witnessed Sesshomaru's anger once more. That was not a sight she longed to see ever again. It was funny, though. He never did truly answer her questions.

Sesshomaru pushed through the crowd of his servants and advisors, ignoring the avalanche of questions by his guard in regards to all of the unexpected visitors and what their orders were for the time being. There was nothing to say aloud. They already knew the protocol or such an event like this. There was no preparing them for what the future may hold for him, his family or his mate. What could he do but follow orders designed and expressed by the only woman at this point who held his resolve, clenched tightly within her cold, dead human hands. He had done his part. He had located Rin's soul, freed the woman who held it, protected them from harm on their way back to his castle and entrusted both Rin's and Miho's lives in the hands of his half brother's wife, Kagome. A _human_. A priestess. His only hope of getting Rin back.

He had no idea how he had made it to this place, but he made no move to leave it. Somehow, Sesshomaru had retreated into his mind and allowed his body to guide him to the one place that held some sort of comfort while he waited on bated breath for word about his soul mate's condition. Rin's first bedroom before she became his mate and wife. He had touched nothing in this room since their first _encounter_ …except the wall he destroyed. That had been fixed while he had the other half of his home demolished and then rebuilt.

The door closed behind him and he was left in silence. Leaning against the adjacent wall, he finally allowed himself the one luxury that he had denied himself of expressing since after Rin's murder. Sesshomaru cried. Not uncontrollably. Not loudly or strongly. No…the tears he shed were minimal, but obvious as they slid down his pale left cheek. The reason in which he could not be present for Rin's reawakening was not because he was afraid of what she might do or say upon seeing him for the first time with her own eyes in decades. He did not wish to be there for the transference because he was afraid that her eyes might _not_ open at all.

**(Somewhere located beneath the castle)**

Kagome pushed open the door that separated her from the body of one of her greatest friends and stepped inside. A fresh change of clothes brightened her complexion but nothing else. She wore soft robes of emerald and eggshell white material that trailed modestly behind her while her hair remained pulled back out of her face. Although her age was well known by those surrounding her, she appeared no older than twenty years. The only obvious tell that was being displayed in her features were the weary bags beneath her chocolate brown eyes. Sleep was a luxury no one these last few hours could afford.

Breathing deep, the priestess bit her bottom lip and blinked several times before her mind could see and understand the vision that was lying cold on a slab of stone in front of her. She had seen Rin's body before on several different occasions, but this visit was different. This visit was destined to be life changing, not just for her but for her family. If this didn't work, Kagome would be responsible for the death of two women instead of one. But unless they get started, two deaths would happen anyway unless she intervened. There really was no other way except to proceed as if she had performed this type of ceremony or ritual on a daily basis. Miho's life was coming to an end, and Rin's time was short if nonexistent.

Kagome growled in frustration at the situation then stomped her foot as if that would solve anything. "Damnit, Rin! Why couldn't you have just fought a little harder to live instead of dying like you had? _Why!_ " She glared as the lifeless corpse as though it might jump up and start dancing. "WHY!" She shouted, half hoping that Rin really would awaken; half hoping that Miho was already dead so that she didn't have to feel like she failed them if Rin's transference didn't take.

Growling again, Kagome slapped herself at the thought of wishing that the women were already beyond her assistance. That was no way to stay positive. _Just remain calm, Kagome. You can do this. Bring Rin back to her family and friends! You can do this!_

"Too much blood loss and no one around to heal her is the reason she died so quickly, my Lady." Kagome jerked out of her inner monologue and snapped her head to the side just in time to catch a glimpse of three different creatures walking up from behind her. The voice who spoke belonged to a woman with short dark hair. "I must apologize. I did not mean to startle you."

Kagome shook her head quickly. "No apology necessary, Aya." She regarded the party of demons in the room with approval. The other two creatures were the two headed dragon demon and a tiny toad demon that Kagome had become quite fond of. "Has he arrived with her, Jaken?"

Ah-Un stepped up close to Kagome, and the priestess got a good look at their cargo. Miho's limp body was draped across Ah-Un's back, her arms splayed on either side and looking as though she might tilt too far to the right and crash into the floor if no one was pay attention. But Kagome knew the dragon demon well enough to know that with Rin's soul at stake, they would not allow any harm to fall on the woman harboring it.

Kagome stepped up and studied Miho's face. Her skin was deathly pale and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. The young woman's eyes were closed but the skin surrounding it was dark purple as though she had just been involved in a knock down drag out brawl and lost. "When I saw her last, she appeared very healthy and untouched by illness. Now she looks as though she has been beaten to within an inch of her life!" She placed a shaky hand on Miho's drenched forehead. "Her fever was barely noticeable back at the Geisha house. Now it's as though she has turned herself into a furnace."

Jaken could not remain silent. "May I offer a theory?"

Kagome nodded without looking at him.

"I fear that she will be dead in minutes if you do not act quickly. Rin's soul is eating away at this young woman's life, which I believe is the source of her fever. The _human_ body can only tolerate so much in such a short time." The emphasis on the word 'human' did not fall on deaf ears. Kagome was well aware of human aliments, as well as demon…but this was almost beyond her understanding. "We must not gamble with time, Kagome."

Kagome nodded yet again and turned to face Aya, who was watching her curiously. "Aya, I need you to gather the roots, leaves and herbs on this scroll from the half demon called Jenenji. His home is located just outside the western woods not far from here." She handed the dark haired demon a crumpled up piece of paper and held the hand that took it close to her chest. "Time is not on our side. Do not stray and do not linger. Bring Jinenji if you must, but get these ingredients. Do you understand?"

Aya blinked stupidly. "Y-y-yes, my Lady. Of course!" Kagome released her hand and allowed her to flee the room, leaving Kagome alone with Jaken, Ah-Un, Miho and Rin.

Kagome rounded on the little toad. "Jaken, please fetch Ura and Inuyasha. I need their help creating a stone tub."

Jaken turned his head to the side in confusion. "Inuyasha has not arrived yet."

Kagome clenched her fingers into fists in frustration. "Fine! Find Sesshomaru! Get him down here! I need strong hands to carve into stone, and FAST! We don't have time to be picky or distant!" By this point, the priestess was nearly shouting. "If you want Rin to get out of this alive, I need people who are ready to fight for her!"

Jaken blinked stupidly at Kagome's outburst. "No need to bark at me, woman! I'm going!" With that the little toad demon ran from the room, a trail of his green robes billowing mutely behind him.

**(Inside of a place unknown to the living)**

_Rin stared Kikyo down, unafraid to take on a priestess if she had to, to reach her main destination…home. 'Tell me what is happening to her? I demand to know, now!'_

_Kikyo refused to meet her eyes until she was finished with the task that was demanding her attention in her hands. Her bow had somehow ended up there as if from thin air and she was busy stringing it up as though she might shoot something, or someone. Deep dark brown eyes returned the look of frustration. 'You already know what is happening to her.'_

_'I know she is dying. But something has changed. How am I going to get out of her body? How will my soul return to mine?' Rin had a gut feeling that something like this had happened before, but it was not her that had endured a violent return to the world of the living. Deep down, a memory stirred of a conversation that Kagome and she had shared long ago about a certain priestess who was determined to bring a certain half demon to an early grave._

_Kikyo knew exactly what that conversation was about, despite not knowing Rin's personal thoughts. 'If you are returned to your body, you will live as though you had not died. No doubt, Kagome will attempt to duplicate the herbal bath that was used once before on her to bring my soul back into my body. The only difference is that the body I was returned to was made of my ashes and graveyard soil. Yours is made of your original flesh and bone, preserved in a solution designed to keep your body from deteriorating over time. I died filled with rage so deeply rooted that when I was resurrected, I fed off of my hate to remain alive. I walked the earth a hollow shell until I was free to die in the arms of the man I loved. You died, also filled with rage…but you harbored love for Sesshomaru and wielded the power of that love as the last thought you possessed when your life ended.'_

_Rin nodded. 'Yes, that is true.'_

_Kikyo smiled sadly. 'You will return to the body that was damaged. If you live…if this works…you will awaken and feel everything you felt at the moment of your death. The pain of your physical wounds…as well as the emotional pain you experienced when your newly conceived child was killed first. I fear…Rin…you will not live long enough to break free of that pain and grief. The stress of it just might end you before you have a chance to start your life again.'_

_Rin stared at her for a long time before she gathered the courage to speak. '…I…will not…die like that again.'_ _She blinked the sting of tears from her eyes as she stood her ground, hoping that she did not fall down and give up believing that she would soon be alive again. 'I…' The words felt like cement in her throat but there was no going back. 'I-I…I'm not you, Kikyo!' The sounds coming from her made it sound like she was choking, but really she was trying not to scream at the top of her lungs…but she failed. 'I. AM. NOT. YOU!' The energy it took to shout took everything she had left in her and she hit the ground hard with a deep resounding THUD._


	29. Chapter 29

**_Chapter Twenty-Nine_ **

Kagome took her time in changing her clothing from her travel kimono to her Priestess one. Just a quick glance in the mirror and even she could not deny the resemblance to Kikyo since she was sporting the traditional white shirt and red pants. Thinking back on the woman who changed her own life, Kagome smiled sadly at the memory of their last meeting. Kikyo had been poisoned by Naraku and was fading fast when Inuyasha had gotten to her. Her friends stayed away but within eyesight of them while the old Priestess let go of her struggles and succumbed to her wounds. It had seemed so long ago when Kagome had met her for the first time while she lay trapped in an herbal bath designed to steal back Kikyo soul from her body. It had been a traumatic experience to say the least when Kikyo had nearly killed her, but Kagome's body called for the soul to return and nearly ended Kikyo a second time. Strangely though, the old Priestess had survived long enough to witness the beginnings of Naraku's destruction and the Shikon jewel's end, though she saw neither in person. In spirit, however, her radiance was present.

A heavy sigh released from Kagome's lungs as she took in the sight of the demons before her, breaking their backs to create a stone tub. Inuyasha had arrived shortly after she had giving Jaken demands, so there was no need to seek Sesshomaru's help. Ura had walked into the room only seconds behind the silver haired half demon and both were carrying a large boulder. Upon setting it down in front of Rin's body, which was perched on another stone slab as though she were only sleeping, the two demons began destroying and shaping Miho's bath. As they worked, it seemed as though they were actually carving a display of butter or cheese with the way their hands maneuvered through the rock. It was effortless for them due to their matched strengths, and for this Kagome was grateful.

"Ura, lift the other end. I need to get this shifted into the dirt so that it won't tilt to the side." Inuyasha dug his claws into the earth beneath the rock and shifted it so that his sister could control the adjacent side, which she did without difficulty. "Good, now move it over a few inches and we can have the ground contain it without much more effort on our part."

Ura complied until the bottom half of their task was situated, then dug her own clawed hand into the top half of the boulder and ripped a chunk of rock clean off to create a crater to start on the inside. "Help me get the tub started." Inuyasha's hand took off another chunk of rock and the two siblings kept up the pace while Jaken sat back on the side lines to survey the scene.

"Can someone tell me how this is going to work?" Inuyasha and Ura ignored the little toad, but Kagome answered from his left side.

"When Kikyo was resurrected from her ashes and graveyard soil, I was kidnapped and put in a bath of really smelly herbs and fresh lake water by a witch who had created an army of clay warriors to everyone away from us. I stayed in that tub for several minutes before I began to get dizzy and ill. It was as if the bath I was in was digging out my soul, but my body knew what was going on and tried to fight it. Kikyo became alive again once Inuyasha said her name aloud when my body was fighting the spell, which was then broken and my soul left me and returned to her." Jaken had turned his head to gaze upon Kagome's face while she told her story. From what he could see, the Priestess was lost in her own memory while she expressed her past to him as though he were not even there. "I was left alive, but empty of all thought or reason. Like Kikyo was before the soul returned to her newly resurrected body. If I had not gotten my soul back when I had, I would have been most likely dead before Kikyo had a chance to finish Inuyasha off."

Jaken clenched his eyes shut to think before speaking. "Will Rin suffer a similar fate?"

The sound of rock and claws coming together ceased for a chance to hear Kagome's thoughts. Clearly, no one had been informed about what Miho and Rin would soon have to face.

Kagome cleared her throat and blinked several times while trying to find the right words to continue. "I am not certain. It is obvious that their circumstances are different from mine and Kikyo's. Kikyo was a shell made from clay, while I was very much alive and well. I did not have two souls trapped inside of my body. I had been born with Kikyo's soul, reincarnated but unable to access her thoughts or memories." She paused to think some more. "Rin's body was never burned. She was preserved so that she would not have to suffer Kikyo's fate. Her body is lifeless, but intact. And Miho…Miho was born with two souls. Her own, and Rin's. This bath will draw out Rin's soul because I will focus my powers directly on hers and guide it back into her own body. If this works, Rin will acclimate herself and become familiar with her body once again and then awaken as if from a long sleep."

"Kagome, when Kikyo's clay body took the soul out of you, she regained not just her memories but also the wounds she died from." Inuyasha had stopped working altogether and was staring hard at her, clearly upset. "You have never done this type of spell before, but you experienced what it feels like to be in the middle of it when it was happening to you. Miho should be ok when this is all over…"

Kagome nodded and finished his train of thought. "But Rin will regain the wounds she died from and she will be in danger of dying from them again if I do not act fast enough." She looked away from everyone and walked back over to where Rin's body was kept.

Rin was lying on her back, clothed in a soft white cotton dressing gown that went down all the way to her ankles. Her shoulders were bare, revealing that she was even more pale then the last anyone saw her but this was normal for a person who had been dead for more than sixty years. "I'll need a source of fire to seal her wound closed. Hopefully she will be unconscious before I will have to deal with it so that she will not feel the pain. Otherwise…someone will have to keep her from screaming." Kagome shuddered at the thought of seeing the pain in Rin's eyes while she pressed hot fire into her flesh.

"Lord Sesshomaru would not allow that." Jaken glared at her, visibly shaken and uncomfortable. "He could barely tolerate seeing the light leave her face when she died. There is no way he will allow her to suffer based on an idea that everything will work."

"If I am right about this, Rin's body will reopen that stab wound in her stomach and she will bleed out very quickly! The only way to close it before she bleeds to death is to burn it!" Kagome was also becoming visible shaken, but more from anger and impatience than anything else. "If you or Sesshomaru tries to interfere with this, I will not hesitate to skewer you with one of my arrows!"

"Now you listen here, missy! I refuse to let you come anywhere near her with fire without Lord Sesshomaru's consent! And let me be the first to say that he would never-!" Jaken was on his tip toes trying to reach a more intimidating height while arguing with the human woman, but a deadly voice from behind him in the doorway cut him off mid sentence.

" _Jaken."_

The little toad demon gulped before turning to face the powerful looming demon Lord. Sesshomaru had appeared out of nowhere, his face void of the tears he had shed in private but he was clearly irritated by the delays.

The great demon Lord looked from one face to the next until his eyes came to rest on Kagome's. She hadn't fallen victim to his intimidations for decades now, so Sesshomaru was not surprised that she had remained completely calm when he studied her face. "Where is Miho?"

"Kazumi is getting her changed and ready to be soaked. Of course, she hasn't regained consciousness yet so Miho is unable to change herself."

"Why does she need to be changed?"

Kagome quirked an eyebrow. "Because the water needs to be introduced onto her skin as quickly as possible."

Sesshomaru also raised an eyebrow. "Do you intend to have her unclothed for this?"

Surprisingly, Kagome blushed scarlet at the thought. Despite being married/mated with a child of her own, the thought of nudity and discussing it with anyone still made her rather uncomfortable at times. "Of course not! She doesn't need to be naked! She just needs to be in lighter clothes! Sheesh!" She threw her hands up in the air and turned away from him.

Inuyasha and Ura looked from Kagome, to Sesshomaru to each other before rolling their eyes and getting back to the task at hand while their brother stood unmoving in the doorway. The tub was nearly complete. Its length and depth were nearly perfect for Miho's lithe body to lie down in comfortably, although if she woke up while submerged in the herb solution there was no guarantee that she would remain so. Kagome had admitted a little bit ago that the experience for her was rather nauseating. Was there no end of suffering for the two women caught in death's vice like grip?

**_(Outside the castle grounds)_ **

"I never expected that Rin would be located so soon."

"Rin had one of the strongest souls that I had ever seen. She was so much like Kagome in spirit that I believed with all of my heart that she would be found sooner rather than later." Jinenji stomped his way through the front gates of Sesshomaru's castle, loaded down with everything that was required to fulfill the task at hand. He had been attempting to make conversation with the pretty demon woman who had come to collect him for close to fifteen minutes now, but the most he could get out of her at one time was no more than a sentence or a gesture. Something was obviously occupying Aya's thoughts, but he couldn't figure out what just yet.

"There should have been more time."

Jinenji didn't like Aya's tone at all. "More time? Her soul was located! The circumstances are certainly dire, but she was found and was brought home to be reunited with her body." He smiled to himself, glad that there might be a happy ending for the great demon lord yet. "Lord Sesshomaru will no doubt be elated by this series of events."

"If only Lord Sakuya were here to witness such a… _happy_ event." This was all Aya had uttered for the rest of their walk through the castle grounds.

Jinenji was only familiar with the name Sakuya because he knew that he was Rin's murderer, which made him look very hard at the back of Aya's head after she had said his name. But instead of giving a response, he kept his mouth shut. He could only hope that the context in which she had used his name was a metaphorical slap in the face to the murderer in question, but something else was hidden in Aya's statement.

Aya's heart hammered inside of her rib cage as she walked down the steps to where everyone was located. The half demon Jinenji followed silently behind. Well…as silently as a demon his size could, seeing as he towered over just about everyone Aya had ever seen. Most of the massive demons she had the privilege of seeing were bad. There wasn't really a large population for large yet kind ones. Still, height and build won out and frankly, Aya hated feeling so small.

Both demons had just come from a short journey over the western mountains. Jinenji carried several containers and baskets full of medicinal herbs and roots, while Aya harbored several assortments of leaves and a rather large cask of water. Everything had to be ground up first and then blended together, but at least they had all the ingredients. The overly large half demon had seemed quite adamant about coming along to assist Kagome in any way that he could and he had been very particular about the amount of items he would bring along for the challenging undertaking.

Aya didn't bother to argue about his presence. One more individual among the group couldn't hurt the cause. So long as he didn't get in the way of her own plans, there was no need for anyone else to perish in the next few hours.

The pair made their way down a steep set of stairs after arriving back at Sesshomaru's castle and made their way down until they came to a doorway with a light peaking through. Voices could be heard from the inside. " _Do you think Miho will wake up before or during this whole thing?" "I don't know. She is pretty out of it and her fever just won't break." "Kazumi had her wrapped in a damp set of linen to lower it, but nothing is working." "We need to get Rin's soul out, now!" "We don't have the ingredients, so we can only wait and pray that she doesn't die!" "Don't tell me that! We don't have time for this!" "You are really starting to bug me, toad!" "Maybe if you stopped acting like such a brat, I wouldn't bug you so much!" "How about I take your walking stick and break it over your little green head?" "How about I take one of your mate's arrows and stab you in the foot with it?" "My_ **son** _is more mature than you!" "Your son is more mature than_ **you** _!" "That's it! We are gonna have it out right now!"_ Something clattered loudly on the floor _. "Bring it on!"_

Jinenji pushed passed Aya and stepped in through the doorway to a scene so bizarre, it was comical. Inuyasha had somehow taken hold of the wooden staff of Two Heads and was busy choking the life out of Jaken with it while Jaken had a good grip on Inuyasha's nose and was trying to twist it off. Neither demon noticed Jinenji until Kagome clapped her hands excitedly from behind the mayhem. "Thank goodness! Bring everything over here!" She pointed to the basin located behind the quarrelling set of demons. "Just set them to the side and one of you go and bring Miho in here please?"

Inuyasha and Jaken shoved out of each other grasp, but not before dealing a final blow to one another resulting in a harmonious chorus of painful yelps.

"Knock it off, you two! We don't have time for this!" Kagome ordered everyone out of the room except Jinenji and Ura and waited until they were alone. Aya dropped everything she was carrying, blatantly ignoring Jinenji's questioning looks and cast a sideways glance at Sesshomaru. The great demon lord appeared to be lost in thought while also making his way out of the room. Aya followed him, leaving only two demons and a Priestess to their own devices.

This was the first time Jinenji had seen Kagome in over ten years but there was no time to get reacquainted at the moment. Instead, he told her everything from the journey he took with Aya to get to him. "Something is wrong with that woman, Lady Kagome. She appears to be just fine, but there is evil lurking within her eyes every time I see them."

Kagome turned to look at him while Ura's mouth dropped. "I'm sorry, what?"

Jinenji continued. "The demon woman who brought me here."

"Aya?" Ura let out a breathy laugh and fluttered her hand in his direction. "Aya is a very dear friend of mine. How can you say such things about her like that?"

"I can sense it, my Lady." He argued. "Kagome, please…do not let that woman near Lady Rin. Or the human woman you are trying to save. Something is not right."

Kagome's brow furrowed in confusion and she pushed a bit of her bangs out of her eyes to see him better. She studied his face. "Aya grieved with Rin when they found Ura dead long ago. Aya comforted Sesshomaru after Rin's death and helped me preserve them both until Sesshomaru revived Ura at Aya's urging. On top of all that, she did not hesitate to get the herbs and other ingredients from you to help bring Rin back to her body while saving the life of the woman who held her soul. How could you possibly think her capable of evil?"

Did he dare reveal his suspicions? "Just now, she confirmed it with her eyes that she has evil in her heart when she gazed upon Lord Sesshomaru's face before you told everyone to leave. She did everything for him, not you or Rin, this new human woman, or Ura. Don't you see, Kagome? I think that Aya did everything for Lord Sesshomaru because…she is in love with him."

Some time later, Kagome had the room vacated of everyone except herself. There were too many theories floating around for her to concentrate on Rin, so the only logical step was to seek solitude while she mixed the formula for Rin's soul extraction. In several precise movements, she crushed various assortments of herbs into a fine powder and sprinkled the dust all round the rim of the stone bath, then layered the inside with more medicinal herbs and leaves until Kagome smelled the same vapors from her past emerge. It was putrid, but necessary. Next, she took the containers of water and dirt and poured up to 3 inches deep before she stopped to examine her work. Everything had to be as close to perfect as she could remember.

From where she stood, the water appeared to be thick with a layer of seaweed if one did not know what was really there. It was deep slimy green with the smell to match it with perhaps a little something extra to cause the aroma to be almost toxic. Kagome held her nose after getting a really good whiff. " _Oh yeah. I remember that smell perfectly._ " She pushed herself away from the bath and blinked the sting out of her eyes. _The rest of the water and herbs would have to be added after Miho is put in tub._

Several minutes would need to pass to ensure that the slimy concoction congealed enough to work, so Kagome turned back around and took a few small steps toward Rin's still as stone body.

Rin's hair had been draped to one side of her face, leaving the other side almost naked to the elements. She was so pale from death that it made Kagome recall the first time she had seen Rin after she had died. Nothing had changed. In this state, she had been preserved in her own special bath to fight the hands of time. There was no sign of decay or age, and this Kagome was thankful for. It would be interesting, however, to see just how Rin would handle not just coming back to life again while suffering an old wound, but also how she would handle the obvious span of time that she had missed. The woman had died, leaving friends and family…most of who were human. Kagome and Inuyasha were an exception, but Miroku and Sango had aged considerably and also, Sango had died only a few years ago. Shippo was much older, though appeared to resemble a teenager, while Kohaku was well into his mid seventies. And now Kagome and Inuyasha had a son of their own. Yes, Rin's soul had taken control of Miho's body for a time and had the opportunity to figure out all of this…but if this spell or potion worked, she would be reunited with her own flesh and blood and experience the joy and sadness in her own territory.

Kagome was scared for Rin. She had only experienced this from Miho's point of view, whereas Rin will be experiencing the transference from Kikyo's. Oh yes, Kagome was scared for her sister.

A knock on the door frame behind her signaled the time. "Kagome?"

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Her voice was hollow, distant.

"The woman…Miho?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes, what about her?"

"She's awake…"

Kagome whipped her head around to find her husband staring not at her, but at the floor as though he were avoiding her. "And?"

Inuyasha glanced up after a minute of silence. It was clear why he appeared so hesitant. "Kagome…she says that Rin is…gone."

 


	30. Chapter 30

**_Chapter Thirty_ **

Miho shook violently from the chill in the air, but it seemed as though she were the only one feeling it. Kagome and Kasumi showed no sign of being cold. Inuyasha and Shippo were burning up because they had been working, and Ura was close enough to her that she could see a light sheen of perspiration forming on her pale face. "Is it really only me who is cold?"

Ura nodded while she placed a hand on Miho's forehead. "You have a serious fever, Miho. Do you feel anything other than cold right now?"

Miho shrugged. "I've really very tired. I could sleep now, but I have a feeling that I might not wake up if I do." Dying was a part of life, but she was exactly ready to great it just yet.

Kagome spoke from behind Ura's back. "Actually, going to sleep right now would be a much better idea than staying awake. Once you're in the bath, you might feel as though you are going to be sick to your stomach, but you won't be able to move at all." Kagome walked around to her and crouched down, also testing Miho's forehead for the fever. "I speak from experience, of course. I wish I had been asleep."

"I agree with Kagome, though I do have my doubts." Ura stepped back and allowed the Priestess to play doctor. "Is it true, then? Is Rin not with you anymore?"

Miho shook her head. "I can't really explain it. I can feel the weight of her soul, but I can't seem to find her in my mind. It's as though she has lost her voice, or faded into the black." She looked up at Kagome while she spoke. "Was this what you felt?"

Kagome smiled sadly. "Not really. I wasn't even aware of the fact that it was possible to remove an old soul from a body and put it back in a previous body. But my case was different. I didn't share my body with another soul. My soul was split in two when Kikyo's body was recreated from the ground she was buried in. It wasn't until she truly died that my soul became intact once again."

"Shall I keep trying to find her?" Miho didn't want anyone to know it, but she was terrified by the idea that Rin was no longer there. "If I don't, will this whole thing work?"

Kagome lowered her head. "I can't stop you from seeking her out, but at this point, I don't know if you will be able to find her. Right now, we need to get you in the bath and extract Rin's soul. If we don't at least do that, you are going to die. I have no doubt that she is still a part of you."

Inuyasha appeared from behind Kagome as if out of thin air and picked her up off the floor. Miho did not fight him, nor did she want to. She was too exhausted to even lift up her head from his chest. For some reason, she didn't think Kagome was the jealous type so snuggling up to the woman's husband like this didn't worry her.

Kagome glanced at them a little longer than she was comfortable with, but ignored the annoyance forming in the back of her mind. Now was not the time to be possessive of her mate.

Ura followed closely behind while Kasumi trailed them. "You know, I am surprised about how calm and quiet you are being about all of this."

Kasumi shrugged. "It is either this, or she will die." A comforting arm wrapped around her shoulders. The warm weight of Ura's presence made Kasumi feel just a little less sad. "I can do nothing to help her, so why bother getting in the way with stupid questions. We are not even blood related."

Ura smiled while she guided the woman through the doorway into the room where Rin's body was now being displayed. "I was not blood related to Rin, and yet I still regard her as the sister I never had. Miho is the exact same to you, I can tell."

"Rin was your sister-in-law, so to speak. So technically, she was the sister you never had." Both women chuckled. "Where is Lord Sesshomaru?"

It was a question intended only for Ura to hear, but Inuyasha, Kagome, Miho, and Jaken (who had been standing next to the now finished bath waiting for them to arrive) all turned around in search of the great demon lord, but found only Miroku, Shippo and Ehren standing just inside the doorway. Ura responded first. "He was just-"

"He can't deal with it." Inuyasha cut off his sister's sentence. Ura turned back around to face him, a look of concern dawning in her features. "He watched her die...quite a few times before. I don't think he could handle putting so much hope in something like this and then having it fail right before his eyes. He would rather hear that this transference had failed from one of us, than to witness the painful reality in person."

Ura nodded. "But still…if the man I loved wasn't there when I came back to life until after the fact, then I would feel as though I were abandoned, or something similar. Maybe not exactly that way, but still…"

"Miho, do you want me to find him?" Kagome reached the stone bath first, but turned quick on her heals and addressed the woman before Miho had a chance to touch feet to floor.

"Um…I'm alright without him here." Miho didn't know the demon well enough to judge why he had managed to slip away unnoticed until now, but she didn't want to be the reason Rin felt abandoned if this endeavor worked. "I just wish that I could find Rin so that I could ask her what her thoughts were about it."

"We don't have time to start a search party." Inuyasha helped Miho find her footing and made himself available as a crutch while Miho climbed into the slimy looking green water. "This stuff is cold!" She let go of Inuyasha's shoulder and sat back until she was completely submerged save for her head. "Ew! It smells horrible, too! Kagome, how did you endure this?"

Kagome gave her a pointed look before she bent over one side of the tub where Miho couldn't see, and reemerged a few seconds later with a vase full of even more foul smelling liquid. "Simple. I had no choice at the time." She poured a putrid concoction of both dried and fresh herbs into the bath to mix with the already stinging chemicals. "I'm going to ask you to close your eyes now, Miho. Just try to relax and take your mind somewhere else other than here. If you can do that, you won't feel much of anything other than a little dizzy." _She'll also pass out if I did this right. The Shikon Jewel was the only reason I didn't when it happened to me. The jewel protected me, but for Miho there is nothing to protect her other than her will to survive._ Kagome swallowed a lump of fear that had formed in her throat. _It's time._ "I'm not even going to count to three." She tipped the vase full of the deadly herbs over and let it mix into the already sickeningly smelling concoction.

Miho swallowed the type of lump in her throat and did as suggested. Her eyes closed, but try as she might the herbal mixture swirling around and saturating her body with poisonous liquid kept her mind firmly planted in the present. With each passing second, the liquid stung every inch of skin until Miho assumed that she was turning into a block of charcoal. Her stomach, free to do as it wished, began to role from the assault and the words that seemed to derive directly from her very soul poured free from her tightly clenched lips like water through a tiny crack in a dam. " _Oh god…I-I think I'm g-going to b-be sick!"_ Unable to stand it any longer, she tried to sit up.

Fear gripped her entire body. " _I c-can't move!"_ If Kagome or anyone else around her had said anything, Miho didn't hear a word. She didn't care about Rin's soul anymore. She didn't care about how anybody else felt about what was going on, and she didn't care about how Sesshomaru felt. All Miho cared about was getting out of the bath that seemed to be melting her skin with liquid fire. There was no thought to it, just pure instinct. The only part of her body that she had any control over was her head and neck. As if it had a chance to relieve her pain, she dropped her head back and sucked in as much air as she could to quell her nauseated stomach. Nothing helped. " _Help me!"_ Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes when she looked around at everyone's startled faces. Their horror only reflected what she was feeling.

By that time, Kagome had already stashed her containers and had placed herself at Miho's right hand side. She sat very still, resting on her legs while her hands were held up as though in prayer, but she was not praying. Her eyes were closed, deep in concentration and completely oblivious of the commotion around her. Apparently, Miho's condition was not a show that anyone was willing to watch, but they had to know if it would work. Kagome ignored everyone and everything, but focused on Miho's breathing as a lifeline. Her energy, not to Kagome's surprise, ejected from her own soul and thrust outward in Miho's direction.

With eyes closed, Kagome's soul tentatively probed the atmosphere surrounding the stone tub. Miho's energy was powerfully strong for a human, which came as a complete shock. _Her aura is unusually resistant. Could it be because of Rin? No…I can sense Rin here as well, but this is something different. Miho's soul has something else hiding within it that has never been able to come out…but what?_ Kagome probed just a little harder until all of her energy had been projected and surrounded Miho's aura. _Miho!_ She called through her own mind and hoped that the young woman could hear. _Miho, I need you to relax! If you don't, this whole thing could backfire and you will die in the process! I need you to relax!_

Miho gasped aloud, startled by a new voice in her mind. "Kagome!" Her eyes opened through her suffering and glanced sideways at the priestess only to find that Kagome's eyes were sealed shut and she was deep in concentration. _Relax!_ It was defiantly Kagome's voice. Unsure of what else to do, Miho breathed in as deeply as she could, closed her eyes and against her better judgment, relaxed every muscle in her body for as long as she could. Liquid fire coursed through every vein and limb she possessed, and even through places she had never thought he had. Seconds later…she felt nothing at all.

Kagome's energy noticed the slack. Her window of opportunity was slim. Like a needle and thread, she aimed her energy forward and pierced through the weakest spot of Miho's soul.

The bubble burst and the room exploded.

Every demon and human in the room was blown backward into the walls by an energy that they were not prepared for, but Kagome and Miho remained firmly planted by the energy of the Priestess.

Kagome frantically searched with her spirit energy for Miho's soul and Rin's. She had only seconds to find them both and contain the explosion that she was hardly aware of. No doubt that those that witnessed it were either unconscious or momentarily stunned by what had just occurred. She could not worry about her loved ones now. Not while two lives relied on her absolute concentration. And that was when she noticed it.

Miho's soul was the first one she came in contact with, and she focused her energy on containing it. This soul was more powerful than Kagome expected. That was when she realized what exactly Miho was. _There was another priestess here! Miho is a priestess!_ Kagome had to fight an incredulous smile. She would need to dwell on this new turn of events later. Quickly but carefully, she transferred Miho's soul back toward its original host and waited until the body of her newest friend accepted it. _Good!_ With little resistance, Miho's body took back the soul that was expelled, giving her life back.

After doing that, Kagome frantically searched the room, seeking out the only other soul left.

_Rin felt funny. Something was happening that she didn't quite understand and she had to glance up toward Kikyo to seek answers. "What's happening?" She looked down at herself and realized that she was fading in on herself._

_Kikyo shook her head. "Miho is gone, Rin."_

_Rin gaped at her. "I know that! I can't feel her anymore! But look at me!" She held up her hands and Kikyo could only nod._

" _Goodbye Rin." Kikyo whispered sadly._

_Rin's heart sank. "What? No! Kikyo, what's happening to me? Help me!"_

_Kikyo smiled sadly at her just as she was beginning to fade too. "I cannot. I must return home."_

_Rin bolted forward to cross the water, aiming straight for the Priestess. "Don't leave me alone! Please! What's happening?" As she stepped into the water, she jumped back as if her foot caught fire. The pain lasted seconds, but that was enough time for Kikyo's form to fade into the air completely._

_The only thing left of her was her voice, which faded too. "Give them…my love…Rin…"_

_Rin scrambled to try again to reach the spot where Kikyo disappeared, but before her feet could even hit the ground, she too dissolved and disappeared._

"Ah!" It was the first thing Kagome said aloud when she realized what was happening. _There she is! Rin!_ She focused her energy toward the ceiling above Miho's body and located it. _Rin!_ She attached herself to it and guided it toward Rin's body which lay perfectly still across the room. Her target reached, carefully, and with a heart swelling with pride and happiness, Kagome transferred Rin's soul downward until it attached itself to the body.

Kagome broke out of her concentration, alarmed by the commotion that she didn't know was happening. For a split second, her thoughts frantically sought out an explanation but she didn't know what was happening until she turned around from the stone tub and noticed the brawl feet from her. "Inuyasha?"

The half demon was standing tall with his back to her, unmoving, and even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was seething.

Blinking stupidly, Kagome got to her feet and turned away from the now waking woman in the tub. "Inuyasha, what happened? What's going on?" She looked around her husband's body and noticed several people locked in a ball and wrestling with what appeared to be a woman holding onto a sword.

Inuyasha's voice held the same rage that his body was displaying. "That woman came out of nowhere! She tried to kill you!"

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. "What? I didn't even notice her." She looked more closely at the struggling woman in the midst of the brawl. "Aya? Why would she try to kill me?"

"Take a wild guess." Inuyasha snarled through gritted teeth while he glared daggers at the female demon locked in battle with Jaken, Ura, Miroku and Shippo. "Jinenji's prediction was right. She was in love with Sesshomaru and she was determined to keep you from succeeding. After the blast, nobody was prepared to notice her until seconds after she came into the room. Jaken was the first to get to her and knocked her to the floor with his staff. Everyone else came after and caught her before she could get back up. I got between her and you just in time."

"Where is Kasumi?"

"On the other side of the tub." Inuyasha snarled again. "Miho started waking up while you were still out of it."

Kagome whipped around. She spotted Miho's sister at the other side of the tub, confirming Inuyasha's words. The young woman in the bath was awake and alert, making Kagome's heart soar with happiness. "What about Rin?" She looked up from the two women to seek out Rin's spot in the room.

Rin's body lay as it did before, undisturbed and unmoving. "Inuyasha, what about Rin?" Kagome's heart began to sink into her stomach. "She was there! What happened?!"

"I'm sorry, Kagome, but Rin hasn't moved from that spot at all. I can't even hear a heartbeat." Inuyasha turned away from the fight in front of him and wrapped his now shaking wife in his arms to console her. "It didn't work, Kagome..."


	31. Chapter 31

**_Chapter Thirty-One_ **

            “ _Her soul was in my hands…”_ Kagome blinked slowly and stared straight ahead at the pale, dead face of her murdered sister. She swallowed the lump that formed in the back of her throat, desperate to quell the sorrow that no doubt would rear its ugly head when she retired to solitude to fully grasp her failure. “ _I didn’t have the chance to-to make sure that she had taken hold of her body…I-If I had just concentrated a second longer…Rin might have had a chance…”_ She drew in a lung full of air that she felt that she didn’t deserve, which she released with a low resounding sob.

            Ura stood erect and proud behind her kneeling sister-in-law, not one to express sadness like a human was capable of doing but did so on the inside. Truth be told, she began to experience a pain far greater than the wounds she had received during her own bloody murder decades ago. Hope and faith, up till now, had been held so high, that when the realization of what had just occurred registered inside of her mind, she discovered that both of those things had been shattered into non-repairable pieces. The only physical indication that she was also shattered by Rin’s situation was the subtle tremble of her bottom lip as she fought to contain her sadness.

            Miho, however, was a different case entirely. She had already escaped the confines of the bath that everyone had put her in. After a lengthy embrace brought on by her own ‘sister’ upon finding out that she was no longer feverish or dying, she pushed herself out of Kasumi’s arms and stumbled on weak legs from the stone tub all the way over to where Kagome was kneeling. She ignored everyone else and blocked her awareness for them by concentrating on an unusual orange glow that no one else had seemed to notice hovering above a body of a woman she had only just begun to understand. Of course, she too was in despair by the reality that hope for Rin’s return to the world of the living was destroyed just seconds after Miho regained full control of her body. She felt hollow, empty and alone inside of her mind, and frankly, she hated the idea of it.

            Despite what everyone else might think of her actions, Miho shuffled forward farther until she stood directly in front of Rin’s resting place. In her eyes, Rin was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. Time had not touched her face, nor her hands or her feet as they were laid bare for the cool evening air to kiss. Rin’s lips blushed in a soft pink tone, and her skin remained smooth as marble and void of rouge caused by the chaos of life. To everyone else, she was very plainly dead. To Miho, she was hanging on to the world of the living by a single thread that had reached its breaking point, and it was up to her create another.

            Energy pulsed within her fingertips, forcing her to remember Kagome’s words the minute that Rin’s soul was detached from her own. _I-I am…a priestess._ Her eyes widened as her powers coursed through every fiber, every vein and every limb as she grasped the notion that she was much more valuable to the dead woman lying on the stone slab after their separation than she was while they were connected by their spirits.

            Miho took a deep breath, attempting to ignore the aura of despair that was prevalent in the space behind her. No one had called into question why she was invading Rin’s space as it seemed her family was too stunned by the notion that they had failed to comprehend that Miho was acting rather strangely. The orange light had somehow escaped everyone else’s notice, but she couldn’t ignore its presence as the dim illumination hooked onto her awareness and refused to part with her. It beckoned her to pay attention to its company and could do nothing to break free of it.  It was her energy that made her aware that the orange light was doing more than demanding her attention. It was calling her, drawing her closer to Rin’s resting place and she allowed her feet to move freely.

            _‘Ohhhhhhh…’_ A faint whispering wind caused her to jerk to a stop directly by Rin’s side. Miho blinked rapidly, hardly able to contain her shock as the wind sounded slightly as if it were Rin. She gulped and drew in an even deeper amount of oxygen to maintain her steady balance, careful to remain calm so as not to bring any unwanted attention from the others. Something told her that what she was about to do next was going to require solitude and concentration that a crowd of onlookers would only stress and ruin her plan if they tried to interact with her now.

            The orange orb flickered, dancing across the chocolate brown shade of her eyes and forcing a smile to vanquish her sadness. Her energy buzzed beneath her finger tips, causing her to raise them slowly and high above her head. She reached for the orange glow and focused her overwhelming powers to control the air surrounding her, Rin and Rin’s free floating soul. “OH!” Miho’s eyes widened considerably, fully understanding what it was that her powers were seeking to take hold of. Her hands converged with a cool mist and she curled her fingers to take hold of it, surprised by the soul’s frailty. It felt as though one squeeze would shatter the air and destroy it, destroy _her_ , but as she willed her powers to latch on, it became surprisingly easy to guide the spirit downward.

            Kagome gazed, open mouthed and wide eyed at Miho’s spiritual energy and her ability to spot Rin’s soul before she had the chance to gain control of her own grief. She didn’t even have to teach her to spot the glowing orb, which in Kagome’s mind, resembled the brightest star that could rival any celestial body visible in a night sky. This magic was special and only a few could wield it, and even fewer could control it. She released a breathy laugh while her tears kept pouring from her eyes. Her sadness had vanished and was replaced with such relief that her tears were unstoppable from happiness and she couldn’t care less.

            Miho’s trembling hands aimed down toward Rin’s covered heart. Her soul was no larger than a child’s ball, barely larger than a melon but weightless. Although it resisted her touch at first, it became familiar with her energy and allowed her to guide it. The moment of truth came a few seconds later as Miho’s hands drove the spirit through Rin’s robes, through her skin and deep within the lifeless body. She yanked her hands back after feeling the spirit disappear from her grip and fell backward as her energy was drained. The last thing that she saw was Kagome rushing to her aid before the black void took her.

            “MIHO!” A collection of voices shouted behind Kagome as she rushed forward to catch the falling Priestess before the back of her head collided with stone steps. A rushing wind beat her to the lifeless woman. Inuyasha caught her before Kagome could even get close enough. “Got you!”

            Kasumi rushed in next and crouched down next to her sister and folded her hand to fit the side of Miho’s cheek, feeling for a sign of life. Thankfully, there was no fever raging beneath her skin, and while she thanked the gods for no illness, Inuyasha checked the inside of her wrist for a pulse. He sighed with relief when he found it and gave Kagome a reassuring smile as the only conscious Priestess in the room appeared by his side seconds later. “I don’t know why she fainted, but she thankfully that is all that happened.”

            Kagome nodded in agreement before she offered an explanation. “She used up all of her spiritual energy, Inuyasha.” She smiled weakly down at the unconscious woman while her husband stared confusedly back at her.

            “What? Kagome, I didn’t even see her using any energy.”

            “You didn’t see the orange light?”

            Kasumi’s head snapped up, alarm clearly visible within her dark eyes. “What orange light? I saw no light!”

            Kagome shook her head. “It makes sense now. No one else would have seen it but me…”

            “Kagome?”

            Kagome glanced over at her mate. “She found Rin’s soul. It was so weak that not even you or Ura were able to sense it, but Miho saw it immediately. I was so struck by grief that I didn’t even entertain the idea that Rin’s soul was free floating!”

            “How could she have seen it before you? You are clearly the stronger Priestess.” Kasumi was glaring at her, no doubt angry by the situation.

            “She had Rin’s soul attached to her own this entire time! She must have been more aware of what it looked like. She was so attuned to its aura that there was no way she _couldn’t_ see it!” Kagome tore her eyes away from Kasumi, ignored her husband and looked up toward Rin’s body with a grin so wide, Inuyasha was afraid it might break her jaw.

            He followed Kagome’s line of sight, but his nose caught the scent before his eyes caught the sight of her. _Rin’s scent_. His eyes widened, stunned by what he was seeing.

            Kagome stood, grin still obvious on her face as she looked on while the woman lying on the stone slab twitched her arms.

            Pale eyelids parted to reveal soft brown eyes which stared up toward the roof for the briefest of moments before they turned sideways and found a room full of eyes watching them closely. Lips moved slowly, testing and uncertain of their purpose until she harnessed her vocal cords to form the softest of uncertain sounds. Next, she located her neck, which she used to turn to gain better access to her surroundings. The feeling in her hands came after the feeling in her feet. She clenched them into weak fists, gathering foreign material with her ice cold fingers. The rest of her felt numb to all sensation, but over seconds of concentration, the room began to heat and her body began to feel. It was her heart beat that warned her that something was about to go terribly, _horribly_ wrong.

            Kagome’s grin vanished, replacing her happiness with horror as she saw the first traces of blood. She acted so quickly that she could have given Inuyasha a run or his money. “NO!” She shouted so violently that she felt the lining of her throat tearing in protest.

            Rin’s eyes widened, matching the same amount of horror as she felt it for the first time in decades. _Blood,_ flowing freely from a spot on her abdomen and a pain so sharp and fierce that she couldn’t contain her voice for another moment. She screamed. Her lungs expanded painfully, only just now aware that she was indeed, truly alive and expelled a gust of air with a force that she had never experienced before.

            Kagome was on her before she could release another hair-raising shriek. Agonizingly hot hands mashed so hard on her stomach that she nearly gagged on her screams. Words like “fire”, “hurry” and “ _Rin_ ” alerted her to what was going on and who the person was that was trying to stop the bleeding. “KAGOME! _”_ She managed to speak only one name, and that person stared down at her with terrified eyes.

            “Don’t leave us again! Do you hear me, Rin! Don’t you DARE!” Kagome pressed into Rin’s abdomen a little harder as fresh blood seeped through her clenched fingers. Ura appeared a minute later with a flaming torch that took one good blow to put out and she handed the glowing scrap of wood to Kagome. Replacing Ura’s hands with Kagome’s, the demon female pleaded with Rin to focus only on her.

            Ura’s amber eyes commanded attention and when she got them, her heart nearly broke as Rin’s soft brown orbs began to lose their light. “ _Listen to me, Rin…can you do that? Listen! Kagome is going to burn your wound closed, alright? I need to you keep listening to me! Focus on me! Don’t leave us, alright? Don’t you dare do that to us! Don’t you dare do that to Sesshomaru! Do you understand? DON’T YOU DARE!_ ”  She drew her hands away from Rin’s abdomen and folded her bloodied hands to fit Rin’s cheeks and kept her attention while Kagome pressed the glowing red tip of the torch onto the open stab wound now clearly visible. Upon hearing the necessary hiss of fire making contact with human flesh, a fresh scream erupted from Rin’s throat.

            Kagome physically shook to the core from the sound of agony that she was responsible for inflicting.

            Rin went numb again, unsure if she was screaming because of the pain or because she was beginning to feel herself fading. She knew that screaming kept her awake and aware, but her voice was broken. Her ability to speak or communicate failed once her screaming stopped. The shouting drained her energy so much that even breathing became more of a chore. Her hands and feet lost all feeling, and her ability to access the muscles in her neck was gone, causing her head to fall carelessly to the side. She saw everyone now. Two sets of molten eyes that belonged to Inuyasha and Ura stared back at her, both clearly shocked by what was happening. She saw Shippo crouching next to an elderly fellow that could only be the monk Miroku, who was also visibly shaken. There was a body of a woman on the ground next to the stairs leading up to where she was. ‘ _Miho?’_ Although she couldn’t smile on the outside, she did so internally at having been able to see the woman’s face for the first time outside of that body. Too bad Miho wasn’t conscious. Another woman returned her gaze. This one she recognized also, but she had forgotten her name, and for the moment, didn’t care. It was the sight of the short, green toad like demon with his hands clapped tightly over his mouth that made her visibly smile in relief.

            “ _J-J…Jaken…_ ” It was the only name she could speak before her ability to do so disappeared too.

            Jaken’s eyes were heavy with tears as he gazed at Rin’s eyes for the first time in so long. His name on her lips, weak as it was, filled his heart with such joy and despair that he didn’t know whether he should smile or cry. “ _Oh…Rin…_ ”

            His voice carried to her ears, and she smiled while her eyes filled with tears of equal enthusiasm. She wanted so much to embrace him, but there was no strength left to do so. When the darkness found her vision, she let the tears drop from her eyes to show everyone that she loved them so much, but Jaken was the last person she saw fade with the darkness. She watched as the toad demons hands lowered from his mouth, revealing to her a trembling bottom lip. He was so sad that it tore her heart to pieces before she lost sight of him…before she lost sight of _all_ of them.

**(In another part of the castle)**

            He ignored the shouts and the screams, knowing full well what they meant and he did not need to see what was being done. He couldn’t make himself rush to investigate to source of those haunting sounds because he didn’t want to face the probability that he might not like what he finds. Instead, Sesshomaru shut himself up in one of the many rooms in his home and muffled the sounds by stuffing wads of cloth into his ears. He remained this way for hours, locked inside of his mind while the world continued to carry on without him. The occasional scent of wandering company did little to shake him loose.

            It was the scent of burning flesh that ignited his once dead curiosity.

            Sesshomaru removed the cloth from his ears, which were then immediately assaulted by close and distant knocking, shouts, and the occasional bellowing of his name from the throats of his siblings. So they were searching for him, were they? Sesshomaru lowered his forehead into his open right hand and clenched his molten eyes closed as tightly as he could. There was a hint of a headache forming behind his left eye and it bothered him only a little less than the shouting down his hallways.

            He ignored all of it, and instead focused on another matter. The charred flesh he caught wind of was faint at best, but all too familiar. Sesshomaru’s head snapped up and he breathed in as deep as he could, testing the air with his keen senses. The scent of blood had been obvious hours before then, but now it was cooked human flesh that demanded his attention. He growled deep in his chest before he bolted and blew out the adjacent wall with his body trying to locate the source. He just barely caught sight of Ura and Inuyasha, who were too stunned to move by his sudden appearance, before he took off in the direction of Kagome’s scent.

            When he found the women, they were busy conversing amongst each other to notice him until he was just inches away. Kagome saw him first. Her face was deathly pale, as was Kasumi’s but he had no care as to why that was. He gave them no opportunity to speak, but pushed past them and opened the closed door they were guarding. This was not where he had left Rin’s body, but he sensed her somewhere inside.

            Stepping inside, he saw a woman sitting in a chair next to a bed with another woman lying beneath sunset orange bed covers. He knew the woman sitting. It was Miho, as she appeared in much better health than he had left her in. Her skin was fare, but alive with a spirit he was unaware that she had. Her hair, seemingly freshly cleaned, was pulled back with a thin string, giving off an aura all too familiar to Sesshomaru. “Priestess.” He mouthed just as Miho lifted her head and glanced in his direction.

            Miho gulped; unsure of what to do other than stand and move as far away from him as quickly as possible, and she did just that.

            Sesshomaru followed her movements until she was standing in front of the opposite wall, and he moved his vision over to the occupant snuggled beneath bed covers. The smell of seared flesh was strong in the room, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the woman he was seeing was Rin. All he could smell was burned skin, but he refused to back out. Instead, he moved forward and kept moving until he stood next to her.

            Rin’s face was untouched by time, still lifeless and pale. The rest of her was hidden beneath the blankets, but he had to see the source of the smell. Sesshomaru sat down in the vacant seat next to Rin’s bed and he lifted the covers and pushed them down until her stomach was exposed. Her robes had been changed, so her skin was completely covered, but it could be easily moved, which was what he did.

            His fingers lifted the thin, pink silk robe pulled it sideways to reveal her abdomen. How he didn’t shout at the sight of it, no one would ever know.

            Rin’s flesh was bright red and blistered. The sight of it angered him to a point where his aura prompted Miho to dart quickly out of the room to hide. So she could tell how he was feeling now, huh? Good.

            He clenched his jaw tight to keep from shouting and clenched his fists to keep from breaking any more walls. Instead, he moved Rin’s kimono back in place and fought to control his temper. After a few minutes, he managed to calm down enough that he released the grip in his hands and discovered that his claws had buried themselves deeply into the skin of his palms. “ _Damn!_ ” He growled. As he moved to lick them clean, he froze. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of soft brown eyes watching him curiously. He turned his head slowly and felt his heart stop for the first time in decades.

            She smiled weakly at him before she lifted a hand to cup the right side of his face. “ _H-h-hello…L-L-lord Sessho-m-maru…”_


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guys, this fanfiction story is not complete, but I am submitting the chapters that are finished as quick as I am able. So far, there are 34 completed chapters. I am currently working on the 35th, which will be the story's conclusion and is actually much LONGER than previous ones. Bear with me, it is almost over.

**_Chapter Thirty-Two_ **

            The familiar beat of her heart gave him reason to pause. Her beautiful face radiated sunlight in spite of the fact that the Earth’s star was nowhere near where it should have been in the sky to cause such happiness to glow. She was clear in his vision, lovely and resting before him in a bed stitched with silk and even softer fabrics that he was in no state of mind to name just yet. Although one of her arms was motionless at her side, the other arm was outstretched and reaching for him. He could do nothing but allow the delicate touch of cool, feminine fingers to caress the rough skin of his cold face. Her scent was weak but fragrant and all too familiar. _Roses…yellow, like the sun._

            He fought the urge to retreat from her touch. The shock of its familiarity weakened him in a way that he had never experienced before, but he remained frozen as Rin explored his face for the first time in what seemed to him thousands of years. All that he was capable of doing while she touched him was to swallow the knot of pent up emotion in his throat, not daring to release them regardless of his audience. Instead, he gazed at her as he once did all those years ago. With every blink of Rin’s weary yet soft brown eyes, he was reminded of the feelings that only _she_ could bring about inside of him from their past.

            Sesshomaru blinked involuntarily and was astonished to learn that his eyes were moist. He was thankful that the wetness had not fallen down his cheek, but that did not stop Rin from realizing it. Without a word of warning, her hand made its way up toward his left eye and she traced the flesh beneath his lower lashes. Her mouth drew a smile that could have melted even the coldest of hearts in the world. “ _Words will never describe my happiness at having returned to you.”_

Rin’s voice held little strength, but her declaration weakened Sesshomaru’s ability to stay silent. His own hand came up to take hold of Rin’s and removed both of their hands from his face. But instead of releasing hers, he drew her whole upper body up out of her resting position and into his arms. Holding onto her tightly, the words finally broke free. “I have died _everyday…_ waiting for you.” Tufts of raven hair blanket his arms and tickled his nose when he buried his face in it. But he couldn’t get enough. He needed to feel her body against his, feel her core body temperature rise with her resurrection so that he could know that she was indeed alive and here now, with him… _alive_.

Rin wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him back as tightly as she could, silently begging for him to be real, for _this_ to be real. “ _I-I never wanted to cause you such pain, Lord Sesshomaru! Even in death…I have loved you…”_

“And now?” Sesshomaru’s voice was thick with unshed emotion, but Rin never dared force him to show it.

As their embrace slackened, Rin pulled back to stare him straight in the eye. Her eyes were soaked with tears. She cupped Sesshomaru’s face in her hands and rested her forehead against his while she responded. “I will love you for the rest of my life in this world, my love.” Free falling tears drew sticky lines down her cheeks. “And I will love you still when our souls converge in our time of death…when we have lived a _full_ life!” Rin didn’t have to move first into the kiss when it happened. Sesshomaru beat her to it and took great care to remember that of her weakened state when he forced her back into her pillows.

**_(A short time later)_ **

            “Master Jaken?” The voice wasn’t _unfamiliar_ , but it wasn’t welcomed while the small toad demon anxiously wrung his hands and churned his thoughts to avoid thinking of anything to do with the recent events.

Jaken twisted his neck sideways to catch a glimpse of the woman before he decided if he wanted to speak to her or not. At a time like this, doing so wasn’t ideal, but then again she was the only link to his young female companion at the moment. No one else seemed to show initiative when it came to Rin’s well being. Everyone was too afraid of what Sesshomaru might do if interrupted while alone with Rin’s body.

He had managed to go against strict orders from everyone in the castle and stationed himself directly outside the room that Kagome and Miho had taken Rin’s body to when she faded. No doubt Sesshomaru already knew he was there, but didn’t seem to mind since he hadn’t bothered him about it.

The small toad demon sighed heavily as he reached a decision, trying hard not to lose his mind as he addressed the speaker. “I don’t care what Lord Sesshomaru, Lady Ura, Master Inuyasha or Lady Kagome say about my being here. I am not leaving this spot until I know if Rin survived. Off with you, Miho!” He shoved his hands in the direction of the Priestess as a way of shooing her from the hallway while brandishing his Staff of Two Heads as a warning for her not to test him. He wouldn’t really use it on her, but he just wanted to be left alone.

Miho furrowed her brow and put her hands on her hips. She had managed to change into a freshly laundered lavender Kimono created from cotton threads, and her hair was pulled up to keep it out of her face. A true beauty in her own right, but not as beautiful of Rin, Jaken decided pointedly in his mind. Although Miho didn’t need to be a mind reader to see how he felt about her as it was clearly written on Jaken’s slimy green face. “Master Jaken, I didn’t come here to ask you to leave.”

“A likely story.” Kagome had already tried it once not long before to get him to go away when she emerged from Rin’s room earlier. The woman didn’t give him any details despite his demands and left in a huff while Jaken made way for Sesshomaru as he came swooping by, casting him aside as though he didn’t exist at all.   

“I only came up here to check on you. Nothing more, nothing less.” Miho held up her hands to show that she was not brandishing any secret weapons in which to knock him out with, nor did she appear to harbor any impatience regarding his decision to plant himself where he had. “Priestess Kagome assumed that I would be better suited to checking on your well being since she snapped at you last.”

“I am well, thank you. Now leave me.” Jaken didn’t really demand it this time. Instead, he seemed more defeated in tone as he hunched over and turned back around to stare sadly at Rin’s door.

Miho didn’t budge. “I am also well,” she offered so that they might have something more to discuss.

Jaken nodded. “Now that Rin’s soul is no longer attached to yours, you are a free woman.”

Miho smiled at the back of Jaken’s head. “I suppose that’s true…”

“And a priestess.”

Miho shrugged. “That is also true, but that means that I am not really free.”

Jaken turned his head back around to glance quizzically at her. “Doesn’t it?”

“I am bound by powers that I have never been trained to understand.” Miho sighed again and cast her eyes toward Rin’s door. “Priestesses are trained from birth to control their powers and use them for both good and evil. My powers have been sealed within me for seventeen years and I have no idea how to wield them.”

“You can be trained.” Jaken offered.

Miho nodded. “Kagome has offered to take me on as an Apprentice. I agreed, but it means that by my very nature, I am bound to serve the creatures of this world and protect. I am not free to _live_.”

Jaken considered this for a moment. “But you _are_. You seem to be forgetting that Kagome is also a Priestess, the most powerful one I have ever met, and she _lives_. She became not only a Priestess, but also a wife and a mother. It is not required for you to train to become a priestess, but if you do, you will not be asked to protect anyone unless you desire to do so. No one can force you to do anything now that your life is no longer in peril.”

“If only it were that simple, Master Jaken.”

Jaken blinked at the woman. “You almost died. By some _cruel_ twist of fate, you ended up at death’s door and Rin was the cause. You fought to bring her soul home at great expense to yourself and asked very little in return. I believe you are entitled to live your life however you see fit and no one can take it from you now. You are _free_. Being a priestess doesn’t mean you are enslaved by your powers and the needs of others. Anyone who tells you otherwise…is a fool.”

Miho grinned softly while she watched him. “I suppose that’s true.”

“It is true.” This voice did not belong to Jaken, but he appeared to know who it belonged to and spun around quickly to confirm his suspicions. Miho glanced above the toad demon’s head and stared, her smile never wavering.

“It’s nice to finally use my physical voice with you, Miho.” A dark haired woman was standing inside the doorway leading into the recovery room, and she appeared to be struggling to stay upright. She was wearing a sunset orange silk kimono with white trim. Apparently, she had changed from her death shroud. “I didn’t think I would ever get this chance.”

From off to the side, Jaken began to blubber. “After all this time!” He muttered excitedly and hoped from one foot to the other while he watched Rin’s silhouette emerge slowly from the recovery room. Following her sluggish movements was Sesshomaru, holding tight to her left elbow to ensure that she remained on her feet. It was as though he had appeared out of thin air.

            Rin’s soft brown eyes were bright with fresh tears, giving them a rim of gold that made them radiate happiness. “ _Master Jaken_!” She whispered excitedly, weakly.  

            Jaken had never seen her look more beautiful than she appeared in this moment. “Rin! You foolish child!” He shouted out of pure habit before he took off for her, arms outstretched and ready to embrace her.

            Sesshomaru was too quick for him and Jaken found himself on his back, staring up at his rage filled demon lord. Blood red eyes warned him that death was not far away should he try to touch the human woman again.

            “Lord Sesshomaru, that was not alright!” Jaken’s ears perked up and he became aware once again of the woman being protected behind Sesshomaru’s back. Rin’s face appeared beneath a snow white sleeve. She was smiling so brightly that Jaken was positive that her soul had taken on the power of an angel. He had to restrain himself from being reduced into a green, tear filled puddle of toad. “Hello, Master Jaken.” Her voice touched his heart in a way he never thought possible and he immediately lost his restraint.

            He made a beeline for her, dodging Sesshomaru’s authority by leaping above the silvery mane of hair and landing just behind him into Rin’s outstretched arms. The two fell backward with a THUD and tears dropped from both individuals.

            Sesshomaru glared sharp daggers at the pair while Miho fought to contain her weepy giggles. “Welcome home, Rin.”

            Rin clutched at Jaken’s robes with a fierce intensity, afraid that she might fade again if she let him go, and Jaken appeared to be doing the same. Neither of them seemed too concerned by the blood seeping through the front of her kimono. Sesshomaru, however, was deeply concerned. “Jaken!” He reached down and grabbed the toad by the scruff of his neck and hoisted him high. “Rin is still in danger of blood loss!”

            Miho sprinted around the pair of arguing demons and dropped to assist a laughing Rin. “Are you alright? Rin, your wound hasn’t had time to heal!”

            Rin just kept laughing. “I-I know!” She giggled harder. At one point, tears rolled down her already flushed cheeks.

            Miho placed an opened palm on Rin’s belly above the wound, ignoring the urge to run away in disgust as the warm, red metallic liquid coated her hand and pressed firmly to stop the bleeding. “Rin, what’s wrong!” Miho had no idea what was happening, but she was beginning to get worried. “I should get Kagome!”

            “No!” Rin held up a hand in protest, but still could not stop laughing. Instead, she looked down at Miho’s hand covering her stomach and grinned through a stream of tears before she looked at her. “No…I needed this…” She sniffed then blew out a long breath of wind. “It’s…this just…it’s a reminder to me.”

            Miho crinkled her eyebrows in confusion. “What?”

            Rin shook her head and glanced up at Sesshomaru and Jaken, both of whom were giving her astonished looks. “It’s a reminder,” she said again. “…that I’m here.” Another sniff. “I’m alive…” She wasn’t smiling anymore as she caught Sesshomaru’s hard gaze. “I’m alive!” A hand came up and covered her mouth as a sob snuck through.

            Miho fell back out of the way as Jaken came out of nowhere and wrapped the bleeding woman in a vice like hug. “You are indeed alive!”

            Sesshomaru rounded them both, sat down behind Rin and pulled her back into him, Jaken still attached and hugged Rin and delicately and closely as he could.

            Miho caught sight of a clawed hand reaching around and resting above Rin’s freshly opened wound. _Kagome,_ she thought instantly. “ _I’ll…I’ll get Kagome_ …” she whispered as she found herself on her feet again. While she turned around, she kept herself at a slow pace so that the two demons could have their time alone with her. _Her wound isn’t too bad, so there is no hurry._ Miho smiled to herself as she made her way toward Kagome’s location. _They’ve waited long enough._


End file.
